The Little Princess
by Haley Earthstone
Summary: Two years after the Lowardian invasion, Kim Possible has been vanished without a trace, and a year later Shego shows up trying to find her. Where is she? Why did Shego leave her two years ago? Rated M for future chapters, would appreciate learning who drew cover pic so credit can be given. KiGo.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER:** Disney owns Kim Possible. Not me. Elizabeth Anne Possible is an OC I created.

1 - Where's Kim?

Shego was surprised to find herself back in Middleton. It has been over three years since the Lowardians had invaded, and the town was actually back looking the way it once had. The first year after it had all ended, Shego had actually helped out with the aftermath. Specifically by dealing with anyone who was seeking to take advantage of it. She'd been shangheid into it by Kim Possible, whose sidekick had been the one to defeat the invading aliens. Sure, the plasma-wielding villainess had been pardoned for past crimes because of her actions in stopping the Lowardians, but she hadn't wanted to resume hero hadn't been able to resist Kim, though. She doubted anyone could've resisted the adorable redheaded lesbian. It had been obvious to the pale-skinned woman from the moment they met, but only obvious to Kim after the Li'l Diablo incident. That's also when Shego realized an attraction to the teen. During the time they'd worked together helping the world after the invasion, the two had grown close. Very close, as a matter of fact. When they'd woken up one morning and found themselves naked in bed with the smell of sex heavy in the air, Shego realized they'd gotten too close. The pale-skinned woman really hadn't known what to do, and hadn't had a chance to figure anything out. Saving the recovering world, dealing with natural disasters, and even handling common crimes had kept both girls from realizing how close and intimate they'd become. It got so that couldn't fall asleep unless they were cuddled up together.

 _To think,_ Shego thought, _this all started with us becoming friends way back then._ Though she was older than the redhead - old enough to have gotten a degree in child development with a minor in psychology - it wasn't hard for them to become friends 'outside of work.' They had to keep it secret back then, though, as both of their reputations would suffer; Kim's more than hers. As Shego wandered around Middleton, checking out the fully restored town, she continued to walk down memory lane, too. One year to the day when she'd been pardoned and Kim had announced their friendship to the world after tossing aside the pale woman's bonds, Shego had split. She'd run away; she didn't know how else to handle the confusing feelings within her. She had always believed she was straight, but the way Kim had made her feel had her questioning everything about herself. So she'd left Kim and vanished from the world's awareness, wanting to ignore what she was feeling but instead dwelling on it constantly. It had taken her a year to come to terms with it all, but in the end she had realized she truly cared about Kim Possible. Rather than run right back to the now college-bound teen, Shego spent the next year establishing her own business. She set up a security consultation business, Corporate Security Operations, and assisted companies and private concerns in improving or establishing their security. It was a pretty lucrative business, especially since her reputation as the best thief in the world got people wanting her to vet their systems almost instantly. She set herself up in the Bahamas, where she already had a home on an island she owned - legally.

And now, a year after she'd started all of that, she had 'returned' to the world - only to discover that Kim Possible had vanished about thirteen months ago.

Which was why she was back in Middleton after two long years. She knew that Kim had had her own apartment there - it had kinda been a graduation present from her parents - because they'd spent a fair amount of time there between missions (not _always_ having sex, though). That was the first place the redeemed villainess checked; she was surprised that she hadn't lost her key to place. she was confused when it didn't work.

"May I help you?" the raven-haired heard. Turning, she saw an obviously older man looking at her from a bit further down the hall. Shego guessed he had just stepped out of his own apartment.

"Um, yes," she replied, feeling a bit embarrassed though she wasn't quite sure why. "I'm, uh, looking for the young woman who lived here."

"Are you a friend of hers?" the man asked. Shego nodded.

"At least, I still hope I am," she amended.

"She . . . I'm afraid she moved out. No one has lived there for about a year now."

Shego was stunned. She'd learned that Kim had withdrawn from public life and hero work, of course, but this was hard for her to understand. "Oh," was all she could manage to say. The man seemed to sense her confusion and dismay.

"She didn't leave a forwarding address," he explained apologetically. "You . . . are looking for Kim Possible, right?"

"Yes," Shego confirmed. "I'm Shego. Or, rather, I was."

"I thought so," he replied, his voice still warm and friendly; that kind of surprised her.

"No call to the police?" she asked, bewildered. "No Global Justice?"

"Why would I do that?" he wanted to know. "You helped save the world, you worked with Miss Possible for a year. You can't really be a bad person if the two of you were friends."

"I wasn't much of a friend, though," she said sadly. He shrugged.

"At least you're trying to make amends now, right?" he asked. He looked at his watch. "I've got to get to work or I'll be late again. You could always visit the Possibles' house; I don't know if that's where she went or not, but her parents might know where she's at."

"I'll do that," she agreed. "Thanks," she added, smiling a bit.

It didn't take Shego too long to get to the Possibles' house, though she took longer than she planned to because she needed to think. During the time she'd spent soul-searching and then setting up a new, legitimate life, she'd never really paid attention to the news outside of whatever was local to the area she currently in. Sometimes she did overhear people talking about her Kimmie (when she first realized she'd had that thought, she'd gone back to her hotel and banged her head against the nearest wall). It was rather ironic, in a bitter sort of way, that the moment she came to terms with herself and tried to start a new life Kimmie decided to disappear. Shego had felt beyond terrible when she had first heard about Kim's disappearance; in fact, she blamed herself for that happening because she wasn't there when Kim needed her. _I wish I hadn't left,_ she thought. _But I don't see how I could've stayed back then._ Sighing, Shego looked up and found herself in front of Kim Possible's childhood home. She also found herself rooted to the sidewalk. She didn't think it was because she was afraid - even after coming to terms with the knowledge that she wasn't as hard as she had thought she was - but because she was nervous about how Kim's family would react to her now. She knew they were laidback and open-minded since they'd already accepted that their daughter was a lesbian, but after all Shego _had_ vanished from Kim's life without a word for a little over two years. However, she needed answers, and there was only one way she knew of to get them. Taking a deep but somewhat shuddering breath, the pale-skinned woman gathered herself and walked up to the Possible house.

Ann Possible was relaxing in the den when someone knocked on the door. It had been a long day at the hospital. While she'd only had a couple of procedures to do herself, she had a lot of paperwork to deal with. After the Lowardian invasion a few years ago, Ann had found herself promoted to head of the neurology department at the rebuilt Middleton General Hospital; much to her embarrassment, the department was located within a wing named after her. Her husband, James, was still at the space center trying to wrap up the details that came with launching yet another communications satellite. She wasn't expecting him back for another hour, at the earliest. Her twin sons, Jim and Tim, were pursuing their second Masters', this time in mechanical engineering. And Kim? The aging redhead sighed as stood and walked to the front door. As far as anyone else knew, Kim had just disappeared; Ann only knew where her daughter had gone when she'd received a post card from the young woman. She didn't know why her daughter had left the world and everything she'd ever known, and Kim wasn't talking about it. When she opened the door, she took on the same facial expression as someone who'd seen a ghost.

"Shego?" Ann whispered, eyes wide. The pale-skinned woman felt a blush flow across her face.

"Actually I, um, don't go by that anymore," Shego said. "Officially, anyway." She blushed further, and added, "C-Can I come in?"

"Oh, sorry, yes," Ann said, stepping aside and motioning the younger woman in. Shego nodded in thanks and walked in. Ann shut the door then led the way to the den. When she sat down on the couch, her visitor hesitated until the redhead patted the cushion next to her.

"So what name _have_ you been going by?" she asked.

"My real one," she admitted. "Rayne Gooding."

"You have a beautiful name," Ann told her, "but I'll use 'Shego' if you prefer."

"I'd appreciate it for now, if that's okay?" she asked.

"Whatever makes you comfortable, dear," the redhead replied. "Now, could you explain to me why you broke my daughter's heart and vanished for two years with no word?"

Shego winced at the gentle and caring rebuke; Kim's mom might be worried and concerned about the pale-skinned woman, but her daughter did rank higher. Shego took a deep breath and let it out before she began explaining everything. She kept her language down to a manageable level, and of course kept certain details private, but she told Ann everything about her and Kim - including why she just abandoned the young redhead. Her guilt and remorse was evident on her face and in her posture, and her word choices showed Ann that the woman truly did regret her actions. She was, however, proud that Shego had turned her life around so completely.

"And when I stopped by the apartment, I found out that Kim had . . . moved out about a year ago," Shego finished. "So I came over here."

"I'm afraid that I don't have much more information," Ann admitted. "About the time that Kim moved out of the apartment, she visited here and said she was moving away. She didn't say where, or why, just that she couldn't be around here anymore, and didn't want to embarass us or anything. Her father and I didn't understand why she would say something like that, and told her that. She just smiled at us sadly, as though she was trying to put us at ease, and said she knew we didn't. She apologized, and hugged us before leaving."

Shego's shoulders slumped. "So no one knows where she is?" she asked. "I asked . . . Wade . . . about her, but he said she'd gone completely off the grid."

"It's true," Ann told her. "Kim only took her clothes and some money. Anything electronic was left behind, either sold or delivered here. But . . . I did get a postcard from her a few months after she'd . . . left." The expression on Shego's face told Ann she'd made the right decision in letting that out. Not even her husband knew about it. "I'll tell you where she's living now, including the exact address, but only if you promise me one thing."

"I will never tell anyone else - other than Kimmie if she asks - what you tell me," Shego vowed.

"I'm glad," the redhead said, "but that's not the promise I need. Well, not the only one now."

"Whatever it is, I'll promise it if I can have just one more chance with her. Or to at least explain everything to her."

"I want you to promise me that you won't break her heart this time."

"Out of all the places she could have chosen," Shego grumbled, three days later, "Kimmie just _had_ to choose Seattle." It wasn't that the pale-skinned woman hated the place - she didn't - but it always seemed to be raining whenever she visited. She knew her plasma powers would keep her relatively dry and warm, but she didn't want to attract attention and so just wore a wool-lined black trench coat, a forest green fleece turtleneck, black leather pants, and black hidden heel boots with dark green buckle straps. She also had a black and green umbrella to keep her mostly dry. She recognized the neighborhood she was entering even though she'd never been in this part of the city before; it was one of Seattle's low-rent districts.

 _Why the hell would Kimmie live here?_ Shego asked herself as she neared the redhead's apartment building. She had always believed her former rival and lover (she was able to admit that to herself nowadays) had at least _some_ sort of standard. A second later she admonished herself for those thoughts; she didn't know anything about Kim's situation at all and had no right to judge her. She also didn't really have the time or patience to investigate the whole building to find the redhead so she did the quickest thing: she asked someone living. Even though it was three in the morning, there actually was someone up and about.

"Excuse me," Shego asked the young woman leaving the building, "but I was wondering if you could help me?"

"I don't swing that way," the woman said. "And I'm not that kind of girl."

"Oh, God, I didn't mean it like that," the pale-skinned woman replied, blushing intensely. The other woman also blushed. "I-I am looking for an old friend who moved here. I was out of the country at the time, and didn't find out she'd moved."

"About when did she move?" the woman asked.

"About a year ago."

"Oh, that would be Kay."

"Kay?" Shego asked.

"Well, she goes by K Ann, so I just call her Kay when I see her."

"Do you know which apartment she's in? I'd like to stop by sometime while I'm in town and try to catch up with her."

"I dunno if I should tell you that," the woman replied hesitantly. "I mean, she's never mentioned friends on the few occasions I talk to her."

"I understand," the pale-skinned woman said. "But I promise I mean her no ill will. I just . . . I just want to talk to her. At least just once, if she doesn't want to see me again."

"Old girlfriend, eh?"

"More or less," Shego admitted. "I . . . I wasn't the best person back then, and want to apologize for that, at least."

"I can help you, then," the woman said. "Third floor apartment, west corner."

Shego was perched on the narrow windowsill outside Kim's apartment a few minutes later. She was getting soaked now as she'd had to put up her umbrella to climb up there. She was looking into a bedroom decorated in basic colors and styles, including a cheap twin-size bed. Laying on the bed was a familiar redhead. A flood of the motions came over her as she watched the sleeping woman. She frowned, though, as she watched Kim toss and turn; it looked as though the redhead was having a nightmare of some kind. Almost without realizing it, Shego found herself picking the cheap lock on the window and quickly slipping inside. Now that she was inside, she could hear Kim's moans and whimpers. She was afraid to say anything, but that fear was overridden by an irresistible desire to comfort the poor girl. Coming up to the bed, Shego crouched down and reached out to touch her former lover's shoulder.

"Kimmie?" she said softly, but loud enough to be heard. "Kimmie, wake up. C'mon, Princess. Please?"

 **E/N:** And that's the first chapter of The Little Princess. Next time, Kim and Shego have a short conversation, but not before a tender and comforting moment - and right after Shego discovers something mind-blowing.


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER:** Disney owns Kim Possible, not me. Elizabeth Anne Possible is an OC I created.

 **A/N:** I'm doing this fic on my phone as the computer is out of order. That's why Red Flame hasn't been updated.

2 - Secret

Kim's scream startled Shego, making her fall back on her ass. Which was fortunate as Kim swung a fist through the space once occupied by the pale-skinned woman's head. It wasn't an actual strike, Shego noted, but a blind fear-induced swing. Getting to her feet, she was about to say something when she noticed Kim's eyes. They were wide and unseeing, yet filled with a shocking amount of fear and despair. She had never, in all the years she'd known the redheaded teen, ever seen her look like that. She was further stunned when Kim backed off of the bed and landed on the floor, only to keep scooting until she was backed into the nearest corner.

"Stay back," the redhead begged. "Please don't touch me!"

Shego's heart broke then, but not because of Kim's words; she could see that the former hero was still in the grips of her nightmare. What made the raven-haired woman's heart break was seeing the once confident and forceful person she'd known in this state. A terrible feeling gripped her heart; what if her leaving back then had led Kim to this? Without hesitating now, Shego quickly moved over to the redhead and knelt on the floor before pulling her into a firm but comforting embrace. Kim fought her, of course; or at least tried to. Shego rocked back and forth gently, slowly, rubbing the young woman's back softly. She activated her plasma, but kept the energy low and slightly warm to create a soothing effect.

"Shhh," she 'said' as she continued her actions. "It's okay, Kimmie. It's okay." Her gentle and soft tone, along with her plasma-enhanced rubbing, slowly helped the redhead calm down. Shego didn't know how long they were they were like that, and didn't care. When Kim had completely called down, she seemed to become aware of her surroundings again. And realized she was in someone's arms. She was a bit confused because of two reasons: one, Stephanie Rockbel (her friend with benefits) hadn't been by today; and two, she felt completely and utterly safe in the embrace. The last time she'd felt like this had been over two years ago, when she'd been with-

"Shego," Kim whispered, her head looking up to see the pale-skinned woman looking at her with concern and worry in her eyes and on her face.

"Hey, Pumpkin," the raven-haired woman said, a fragile smile on her face.

"Shego?" the redhead asked softly, unsure if she was dreaming or not.

"It's me, Kim," Shego replied just as softly. "I'm here." Kim's eyes filled with tears that fell like waterfalls as she choked out a sob before full on crying as she buried her face into the older woman's shoulder. Time didn't matter to them, though when Shego glanced at the clock on the nightstand she saw it was three in the morning when Kim calmed down again.

Before either of them could ask the other a question, the sound of someone else starting to cry filled the room. Both women's eyes widened, but for different reasons; Shego because that was the last sound she'd ever expected to hear, Kim because she knew what that sound meant.

"Um . . . Kimmie?" Shego asked, as another cry sounded. "What's that noise?"

"My . . . daughter," Kim replied. Shego was floored by that announcement, so much so that her arms dropped to her side. Kim got up and went over to the crib that was across from her own bed. Shego stood and turned around in time to see the redhead lift a little girl up.

"I need to feed her," Kim said, deftly slipping an arm out of her tank top to expose a pink-capped breast. Any other time Shego would've felt immediate arousal over the sight, but right she didn't.

"Oh, um, right," she said eloquently, prompting a tired but small smile from the redhead.

"You can wait in the kitchen, if you'd like," Kim suggested. "I'm sure you want to talk about something, and probably have a million questions now, so we can talk a bit after. But I do need some sleep. I've got work tomorrow. Well, later today."

"S-S-Sure, K-Kimmie," Shego agreed, then left the bedroom. Questions? Hell, her brain had stopped working the moment Kim said that the crying was her daughter. The pale-skinned woman made her way to the kitchen, which wasn't hard considering Kim's apartment was like a shoebox. She sat down at the obviously cheap table provided by the complex's owner and stared at nothing.

"You could have gotten a drink, Shego," Kim said, startling the pale-skinned woman. Shego's head snapped up fast and her green-tinted skin became darker as her face flushed with embarrassment.

"It's, um, n-not my home," she stammered in reply. Kim let out a sigh and nodded, before walking over to the small and cramped-looking fridge. She opened it and reached in to pull out a bottle of cranberry juice.

"Strongest thing I have," the redhead explained, setting the juice on the table before going to get a couple of glasses. "I've had to watch my diet very carefully over the last thirteen months."

As Kim sat down at the table and began pouring the juice, her guest said, "It's Rayne Gooding, actually. Not Shego."

"Sorry," Kim replied, looking down at the table.

"Like you always say, Kimmie," Rayne said, "no big." Kim didn't say anything, just finished pouring the juice. After getting her juice, Rayne took a sip and sat there, watching the redhead. She was desperate to learn what had happened to Kim, why she was living like this, and how she'd gotten a daughter. Her impatience resurfaced a bit after a while and she asked, softly, "What happened, Kimmie?"

"You left me," Kim said. It wasn't said in a negative way, or to be cruel; it was simply a statement of fact. Nevertheless, it still cut through Rayne's heart like her own plasma would cut through solid titanium. "I don't blame you for anything," she went on forlornly, "but the day you left without a trace or even a call after a while just shattered me. I did go on, at least as far as everyone else was concerned." That last was said with some bitterness.

"Kimmie," Rayne said, but she didn't get to say any more.

"Don't say it, Rayne," the redhead interrupted. "I'm sure you're sorry and all, but what good would that do us now?"

"I'm clean now, Kim," the pale-skinned woman replied. "No more outstanding warrants, no more worrying about Global Justice watching my every move, waiting for me to screw up. Hell, I even reconciled with my brothers."

"You think that means anything now?" Kim asked. "I spent a few months in a depression after you left. Then I tried to forget you." _That_ threw some reality into Rayne's face. She should've expected it, though. "I threw myself into the whole hero thing completely. Even accepted invites to social events and crap I'd never have gone to before. Tried the dating scene, too."

"Is that how you got your daughter? Gave up girls for a bit and shacked up with a guy?" Rayne asked curiously. Kim's expression darkened and her face closed up.

"Her name is Elizabeth Anne Possible," the redhead said quietly. "And I need to get some sleep. I have to be at SmartyMart later, and I'd prefer you to not be here when I wake up." Kim stood and carried her empty glass over to the sink. "Sorry if that hurts, Rayne. I appreciate your concern, but you can't just show up and expect - or hope - that things will go back to what they were before."

"I wasn't," Rayne said quietly as Kim left the kitchen and went back to her bedroom. She felt her heart start to break, and didn't bother to stop the tears from falling. "I just wanted to tell you I was sorry, and make things up to you."

Sighing - although it sounded more like a sob - Rayne took her glass over to the sink, washed both glasses, and put the juice back in the fridge. After closing it, she took a look around the small space that Kim Possible now lived. It was half the size of her previous apartment, and not even close enough in condition. There where water and coffee stains in the ceiling, unidentifiable stains in the cheap carpet, wallpaper peeling off the walls, and yellowing on anything that had probably once been white. _This isn't right,_ she thought. _Kim Possible shouldn't be living like this._ Especially _since she has a kid._ Rayne remembered how Kim had reacted to her question. _I shouldn't have asked it like that. I should've just asked something like 'how old is she' or 'she gets her looks from you.' Not tease her about her relationship issues._ Rayne's shoulders slumped. She knew she'd screwed up, but hoped she could still cross this bridge again. Getting an idea, she pulled out a notebook and a pen from her jacket. She wrote down a bunch of numbers, labeled them, and lastly added her personal contact number. She left it on the kitchen table and left the same way she'd come; though she took a long, lingering at Kim before she left.

When Kim's alarm woke her up a few short hours later, she let out a groan. Last night hadn't been fun at all. She'd had the late shift at her second job, Tai Chi Latte Café, and had to stop by her babysitter's to pick up her daughter before heading home. Home, in this case, being the apartment she could barely afford with her two jobs; she included food, clothes, utilities, and insurance in that. Then there was the nightmare she'd had, along with the late-night visit from Shego (aka Rayne Gooding). She got up and made her way to the bathroom, taking off her bed clothes as she walked into it. After tending to her personal ablutions, she took a quick shower and had some breakfast (still naked) before getting dressed for work. Just as she got out to the living room there was a knock on the door. She unlocked the deadbolt, the chain lock, and then the doorknob before opening it. "Hey, Kane!" said the blond woman standing at the door. She quickly pulled the redhead into a hug before giving her a gentle kiss on the mouth.

"Stephanie," Kim groaned in exasperation at the antics of the older woman. "It's Kay Anne. Initial Kay, and then Anne."

"Oh, pull that broomstick out of your ass, Kane," Stephanie Rockbel replied with a cheeky grin. "Is my favorite redhead still sleeping?"

"I thought _I_ was your favorite redhead," she pouted. When she'd left everything behind and moved to Seattle, she'd put 'K. Anne P.' to everything she'd had to sign. There was the whole social security number issue, but she'd bypassed that with no trouble; she'd actually rescued the owner of the SmartyMart she worked at once so he didn't ask questions, and the owner of Tai Chi Latté was kind, generous, and understanding (if Kim Possible didn't want to be known, it wasn't his place to say otherwise).

"You're my favorite redheaded FWB," the blond said, going into the apartment as Kim stepped aside.

"Yeah, Elizabeth is still sleeping for now," the redhead said, answering Stephanie's question. "There's plenty of expressed milk in the fridge."

"This isn't my first time with that little angel you call your daughter."

"I'm a mom, remember?" Kim's smile faded a bit. "Seriously, though, Steph; I really appreciate the help. I'm really grateful that you won't let me pay you, even though I don't understand why."

" After three months of me doing this for you, you don't understand why?" Stephanie shook head. "Kid, I help because we're friends - even if we didn't have the benefits part - and because it's the right thing to do. Now, go on. You've got work to get to."

"Thanks, Steph," Kim replied, giving her FWB s quick kiss on the lips. As she did, she thought about how she and Shego used to kiss, which startled her a bit.

"That was a little different," the blond said after they'd parted.

"I had an old . . . friend stop by last night," the redhead blurted out. Her eyes widened as she hadn't meant to say that.

"An old girlfriend, eh?" Stephanie winking at her.

"It was never official," Kim muttered. "Look, I've gotta get to work. I'll be back around five or five-thirty." Then the redhead left her apartment. Stephanie stared at the door, her face looking said.

"I get the feeling that whoever this mystery woman is, she must've been someone special to have cause you such heartache, Kane," Stephanie said softly to herself.

 _"Still nothing, Ron,"_ Wade said as soon as he'd accepted the kimmunicator signal from the blond.

"It's been over a year, Wade," Ron replied. His voice sounded weary, and not just from the day of training he'd finished; it was the weariness of someone who'd kept trying even though he'd failed every time before.

 _"She didn't take anything with her,"_ the young genius replied. _"No kimmunicator, no computer, nothing. Wherever she is, she hasn't done anything that I can trace. I've even checked for hits on her social security number since she would have to have a job, but nothing. And before you ask, again, there are way too many people in the country, much less the world, with the initials KP. And I've even taken her middle name into account."_

"How can anyone disappear so completely?" the blond asked. "It's _Kim Possible_. Her appearance is impossible to miss."

 _"Appearances can change, Ron,"_ Wade reminded him. _"It wouldn't take much, either; a simple haircut would be enough of a change. I'm sorry, Ron. Wherever Kim is, we won't find her unless she wants to be found."_

"I wish I knew why she just left like that, though," he said. Wade just shrugged. "Alright. Thanks, man." Wade nodded and signed off.

"No information about Kim-san, Ron-kun?" Yori asked, coming up behind her fiancé and wrapping her arms around his waist as her chin came to rest on a shoulder.

"Nothing," Ron replied. "She's just . . . vanished."

"If Wade-san has had no success, then perhaps you could ask Yamanouchi. If your need is great, perhaps Master Sensei could locate her through the mystic energies?"

Ron hesitated. He was certain that both of those options would succeed in finding his best friend, but . . .

"No," he said finally. "As much as I'd like to, I won't ask. I think it's time I stopped relying on others to do what I myself can attempt to do."

"A warrior's answer, my beloved," Yori replied. "And it shall be my honor to accompany you on your quest."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Ron agreed, turning his head to kiss the raven-haired ninja on the lips.

 **E/N:** There you have it. Chapter 2. I have to say, I'm surprised so many people have followed this story. Read and review, please. Next time, Kim and Shego meet once again, with a bit of tension still in the air (make that quite a bit), Stephanie learns who Kim's 'mystery woman' is, and then the blond begins the groundwork of bringing the two estranged lovers back together.


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER:** Disney owns Kim Possible, not me. Elizabeth Anne Possible is an OC I created.

 **A/N:** The chapter's title is the song "I Wish I Had an Angel" by Nightwish from the Album 'Once.'

3.) I Wish I Had an Angel

After she'd left Kim's apartment, feeling a little crushed by the redhead's dismissal, Rayne had wandered around Seattle a bit before checking into a hotel in one of the city's richer districts. The pale-skinned woman wasn't worried about her business; the two dozen employees she had were capable of handling things while she was on 'vacation,' and her assistant could get in touch with her of there was an emergency. What worried her was Kim. She seemed like her spirit was broken, or at the very least wounded. _Perhaps,_ she thought, _the fire's gone out of her._ That thought was the worst as far as Rayne was concerned, because it meant that the Kim Possible she'd known and had finally realized she loved was gone.

Later, after she'd had a few hours of sleep, Rayne decided to do some shopping, even though she wasn't really in a mood to be around people. She rolled out of the bed, and dragged herself to her feet, then headed off to take a shower. Once that was taken care of, the pale-skinned woman pulled on fresh clothes and checked the time. Seeing it was after noon, Rayne decided to get lunch before shopping.

Being that she liked Thai food, Rayne stopped at a place she always went to in the Bahamas and that she was happy Seattle had: Tai Chi Latte Café. When she was seated, a very attractive blonde waitress came over.

"Hello, I'm Stephanie," she said. "I'll be your waitress today. Would you like to see a menu?"

"I'm pretty familiar with the menu here," Rayne admitted.

"A regular, eh? I haven't seen you in here before."

"I'm only passing through," the pale woman explained. "Sort of. I actually live out in the Bahamas."

"I thought you were an exotic hottie," Stephanie replied, making her customer blush. "Well, give me your order and I'll get it right to you."

"I'll have Pad Thai and a double mocha espresso," she said. The blonde wrote down her order and said, "Be right back."

Sure enough, she came back a couple of minutes later with Rayne's drink, and then sat down. At the woman's raised eyebrow, Stephanie said, "We're slow today so I'm okay. So why are you in town?"

"Nosy much?" Rayne asked, smirking.

"Damn straight," she replied, drawing a chuckle from the other woman.

"I was hoping to visit an old . . . friend," the pale woman said. She hoped her hesitation had gone unnoticed, but such was not the case.

"Trying to hook back up with an ex, eh?" the blonde teased, drawing an unwanted blush from the other woman. She heard her customer's order and went to fetch it. When she returned, Rayne's blush had faded.

"So who's the lucky guy?" Stephanie asked. Rayne paused with her food near her mouth.

"Do you mind?" she asked. "I'd rather not puke while I'm eating."

"Ooh, so you prefer sushi to sausage," Stephen replied, nearly making the pale-skinned woman choke on her food.

"What the hell?!" she managed to get out after catching her breath.

"I like shocking people."

"I couldn't tell," Rayne replied dryly. She sighed, though, as her thoughts drifted back to Kim.

"She must've been some girl," the blonde told her gently. Then her boss's voice rang out.

"Stephanie! You're on break! Remember, you don't get off until Miss Anne comes in!"

"I know, boss!" she called back, then made herself comfortable at Rayne's table.

"Coworker?" Rayne asked, continuing to eat.

"Yeah," Stephanie confirmed. "Really sweet girl, though it's obvious she's going through a rough patch."

"I know the feeling," the raven-haired beauty agreed.

"She works two jobs, and has to take care of her daughter on top of that," the blonde said. Bells went off in Rayne's head. This was sounding pretty familiar to her, so she decided to learn some more.

"I screwed up," she said, surprising herself by saying that. When her new acquaintance looked at her, she went on. "You remember that alien invasion about three years ago?"

"Yeah," Stephanie replied

"I was a part of saving the world," Rayne explained. Her companion looked at her, studying her, then comprehension dawned on her.

"You're Shego?" she asked, stunned.

"The one and only," Rayne replied. "Though I no longer use that name."

"Weren't you dating Kim Possible?" Stephanie wondered.

"That's where I screwed up," she said. At the other woman's look of incredulous shock, she hurriedly went on. "Not the dating her thing, exactly. Up to that point, I'd always thought I was straight. The conditions we were in, the closeness we shared . . . it wasn't surprising that something happened between us. But after, like, a year or so, I woke up one morning and it all hit me at once."

"You panicked," the blonde said gently.

"No, I freaked out," the raven-haired woman corrected. "I just ran. I ran, and didn't say anything. I was gone before she woke up. I didn't leave a note, a number, nothing. For two years, absolutely nothing."

"What's changes?" was the curious reply.

"Me. I spent a whole year trying to figure out who I was. I even went back to Go City and reconciled with my brothers and parents. Hell, I even spent the next year setting up a legitimate business." She sighed. "And when I come back to the States I find Kim is gone."

"And you think she's here in Seattle?" Stephanie asked.

"I know she is," Rayne answered. "Her mom was the only one who knew where she'd gone, though she doesn't know that her daughter's living in a piece of crap shoebox apartment or that she has a four-month-old daughter."

"Wait a minute, wait a minute," the waitress interrupted. "How do you know that, if you didn't know anything before getting back?"

"I met her again last night, and got it figuratively put in my face," she explained.

"Where did you say she lived?" Stephanie asked. Rayne told her, and watched in surprise as the woman's jaw dropped in shock and her eyes widened in disbelief.

"You have _got to be kidding me!" she exclaimed, finally finding her voice after a few moments._

"What?" the pale-skinned woman asked.

"That's the same address that Kane lives at!" Steph said.

"Who?"

"Kane. Well, K. Anne P. is the name on the schedule," the blonde replied, then slapped her forehead. "I can't believe I didn't pick up on that! But why would she hide who she is?"

"I don't know," Rayne said, a little irritated. "I haven't been in her life for two years, remember?"

"So why are you back now?" she was asked.

"To make up for what I did. Or at least apologize for it. I wasn't there when she needed me, and it kills me all the time."

"It should," Steph told her, and Rayne nodded in agreement. The blonde's expression turned to surprised amazement. "I can't believe that I've been, off and on, boning Kim Possible for almost a year."

"What the hell?!" Rayne sputtered, nearly choking on the last of her tea.

"We're not dating," she rushes to reassure the woman. "We're just friends with benefits. Admittedly, it doesn't happen near as often as I'd like, but I'm there to scratch the itch for her when it comes. My boyfriend's cool with it, since he knows that being bi is part of who I am."

"At least you're there for her," Rayne said softly, feeling depressed again.

"You love her, don't you?"

"Yeah. I always did, though I wish I'd realized it two years ago."

"It's never too late, you know," Stephanie told her.

"Why does she need me when she's got you?" the pale woman asked morosely.

"She may 'have me' as you put it," the blonde replied, "but I don't have her. Whenever she gets horny, I'm there for her. Whenever she needs someone to watch Elizabeth, I'm there for her. But there's no real connection. We're friends, yeah, but nothing more. She isn't even much of a participant in sex."

"That's not my princess," she replied.

"It's who she is now," Stephanie told her. "I don't know what happened between the two of you so long ago, or why she'd shown up here like she did, but if you truly care for her, love her, then do something about it."

"And you're just gonna let me waltz in and do that, right?" Rayne asked, a little sarcastic.

"Yes," was the simple reply.

When Kim's shift at SmartyMart had ended, she was actually grateful she didn't have a shift at the cafe today. 'Today' being the day after Shego had shown up in her apartment after being gone for two years. She got another shock when she saw who was waiting for her.

"What the hell are you doing here?" the redhead asked as she walked up to the pale woman, sounding more exhausted than angry.

"Giving you and your daughter a ride home, Princess," Rayne replied in a sincere tone.

"Elizabeth?" Kim asked, freezing in place. Rayne could easily sense the fear and terror rising in the younger woman, and felt her heart just break that the strongest woman she'd ever known had become like this. _One step at a time, Rayne,_ she told herself. _One step at a time._ Out loud she said, "It's okay, Kim. She's in the back seat, sleeping." That last was said as the reformed villainess patted the hood of a black 4-door sedan.

"Y-You picked her up?" Kim asked, looking at her former rival with a look that mixed gratitude, a little fear, and more than a little surprise.

"I ran into your friend Stephanie yesterday when I went for some Thai and tea," Rayne explained. "She knows about my history, and guessed who you were. I didn't mean to give anything away, but she promised she wouldn't tell."

"You can trust her," Kim said, still in shock. "Her word's as good as mine was."

"In that case it's as good as gold," the other replied. "Anyways, I was doing some shopping when she calls me up and says she was asked to come in early. You weren't off yet, so she asked me if I would pick up Elizabeth for you."

"And you agreed?" the redhead interrupted.

"Without a second thought," Rayne confirmed.

"B-But . . . why?" Kim asked.

"Get in, Princess," Raybe said, opening the passenger door, "and I'll explain on the way to your apartment." Still in a daze, the redhead did as the older woman said and shortly thereafter they were on their way.

"Kim," Rayne said after a moment, the use of her actual name capturing the redhead's attention, "I've changed. Really. I shouldn't have run away two years ago, but I freaked out about what was going on and didn't know how to handle it. At all. I was scared and confused and overwhelmed. I was straight, or thought I was, and when my brain became aware of what we were doing . . . I panicked. I'm not making excuses, for I have none, nor am I asking for forgiveness. I don't know if I deserve it. But I want to be here for you now, and your daughter, too." She glanced at Kim for a moment, guilt on her fave, and got an encouraging nod in return. "I shouldn't have said what I did that night. You didn't deserve that, especially since I have no idea what's happened in your life between when I left and when I came back. All I'm asking is for a second chance." Kim opened her mouth to say something, but stopped when Rayne held up a hand. "Don't answer now," she was told. "Just think about, okay?"

"H-Hey, Shego?" Kim asked.

"Yeah, Princess?" Rayne replied as she pulled up to the sidewalk in front of Kim's apartment.

"D-Do . . . do you want s-sta-stay for dinner?" the redhead asked, extremely nervous and apprehensive.

"I'd love to, but only if I can cook for us," she agrees teasingly. And for the first time in two years, a genuine, warm smile (a small one, but one nevertheless) appeared on Kim's face.

 **E/N:** I know this chapter didn't have much to to do with the song it's titled after, but it's what I was listening to and the title fits. Next time, Kim and Shego spend a bit more time together thanks to Stephanie, and start healing the rift between them.


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER:** Disney owns Kim Possible, not me. Elizabeth Anne Possible is an OC I created.

4.) Quality Time

When the trio reached Kim's apartment complex, the redhead tried to offer to help carry stuff in but her raven-haired companion wouldn't hear of it.

"You just carry your daughter in," Rayne told her. "I'll get this."

"Shego . . ." Kim said, feeling touched at the older woman's actions and words.

"I insist, Princess," was the reply.

"Thanks," the redhead replied as they walked in and headed up the stairs.

"For what, Kimmie?" she asked.

"For finding me," Kim explained as she unlocked her door. "Though I still feel lost."

"I'll stay for as long as you want me to," Rayne stated, smiling, before following the young mother in. Kim wanted to help in the kitchen, in spite of the earlier agreement, but the pale-skinned woman refused to let her; the failed attempt was further derailed when the redhead's daughter began expressing her own hunger. With a somewhat worn out but still a bit content sigh, Kim went to go feed the four-month-old. When she returned to her rather cramped kitchen, the 'missing' hero was surprised to see what was, to her, a veritable feast in the process of being made.

"Shego," Kim said, the name slipping out, "what is all of this?"

"This, Princess, will be dinner," Rayne replied, ignoring the name slip as unimportant. "Judging from what I've seen, I'm guessing you don't eat too much."

"I . . . get by," the redhead sort of hedged. But her 'guest' shook her head.

"Not tonight," was the reply she got. "And not anymore if . . . if you'll let me have a say in this." She turned from the meal she was making and looked Kim in the eyes. "I left you the access information to one of my legal accounts," Rayne added. "I gave up all of my illegal ones a year ago. Gave 'em all to Cyclops to return the funds and all."

"That doesn't sound like you," Kim blurted out, then immediately clapped her hands over her mouth, her eyes wide. "I . . . I didn't mean it like that."

"Yeah, you did," the raven-haired woman said gently, then turned her attention back to the dinner. "But it's okay, Kim. It is out of character for who I was the last time we saw each other. Back then, that is."

"Why, though?" she asked as Shego began setting the small and cramped table.

"For you, Kim," Rayne replied, shocking the young mother. A small smirk grew on the older woman's face when she saw the redhead's expression. "Soul searching for almost a year exposed me to things about myself I'd ignored or just outright refused to think about. Including how I felt about you. And I realized just how much I'd hurt you."

"Shego . . ." Kim said, her voice trailing off when the other woman held up a hand.

"Not finished, Cupcake," she said, bringing a small smile to the other's face with the old nickname. "Even after all of that, I wasn't ready to face you. Even if I was officially pardoned and no longer had to run and hide, I still had everything from those days. And, like I said, I gave it all to Bets to return. Went and made up with my brothers, and made a job testing security systems and even making them. After a year, I came to find you." By this point the two were sitting and eating. Kim wasn't able to say anything as she was having what could only be described as multiple foodgasms; it seemed like it had been forever since shed eaten this well, or even had this much _TO eat. "And I find you all alone, with a daughter," Rayne finished softly. That caused Kim to pause, her fork frozen halfway to her mouth, her eyes a bit wide. Shego could see the pain and . . . fear . . . in the redhead's eyes._

"I won't ask," the pale-skinned woman added quickly.

"You're burning to ask, though," Kim replied, her levity forced.

"Oh, ha, ha," Rayne said, the sarcasm so thick it could have doubled as heavy armor. "Very funny, 'Kane.'" The tension that obviously filled the young woman began draining away. "So, besides SmartyMart, where else do you work? I mean, it can't be easy to pay do for all of this with only one paycheck."

"I wouldn't be able to afford the monthly rent with just one job," the redhead admitted, taking a sip of the sparkling juice Shego had bought earlier and served with the meal. "I also work as a waitress at Tai Chi Latte Café-"

"You're kidding," came the disbelieving reply.

"Not at all. Stephanie's the one who helped me get hired there; risked her own job to do it, too." Kim sighed. "It really wears me out, since often I'm working at SmartyMart in the mornings, then changing into my other uniform to go right to the café after getting off shift."

"And then you have your daughter to take care of," Rayne added quietly, not wanting to upset the younger woman.

"Yeah, but she's worth it all," Kim said with a small, but warm, smile."I haven't been around her all that much," the pale-skinned woman said, "but from what I've seen she's as much of an angel as her mom is." The ex-hero blushed at the flirtatious comment.

"I wish you hadn't run, Shego," she replied, using Rayne's alias out of habit. "But I'm not sure what else you could've done back then, considering how things were then." She looked at the older woman, a smile still on her face. "But at least you're here now."

"And I'll stay for as long as you want me to, Kim," was the other's confirmation.

The rest of the conversation went along similar lines; Kim just talking about her life after she'd disappeared from the world, the challenges of working two jobs while raising a child, and what she did in what little free time she managed to have. The redhead admitted that Stephanie was really the only friend she had; the manager of the SmartyMart she worked at was someone she'd rescued during her hero days and helped her set up a casual background for her 'alias.' The owner of the café was simply a kind and generous man who liked helping those in need. Eventually, though, they had to end the evening and soon Shego was standing in the doorway of Kim's apartment.

"Thanks for tonight, Rayne," Kim told her, hugging the other woman. "This has been the best night I've had since-"

"I left," Rayne finished for her.

"Yeah," the redhead agreed. "I needed this."

"So did I, Princess. I'd . . . I'd like to do it again. If that's alright?" Kim realized that the raven-haired woman was nervous and hesitant; she knew why, of course.

"I'd . . . like that, too," she admitted. "I . . . I, uh, I am off tomorrow, from both jobs. Doesn't happen often. We could . . . do something then?"

"That would be great. I could treat you and Elizabeth to something."

"Really?" Kim asked, surprised. "You . . . you wouldn't mind having my daughter along?"

"Hell no, Kimmie," Rayne answered. "She's your daughter, and a very sweet child. If . . . if anything develops between us again, I want to show you that I care about both of you, and I'm more than willing to be there for you both."

"Rayne . . ." the redhead said softly. Then an idea occurred to her. "Stephanie works tomorrow morning. You, Elizabeth, and I can do something from whenever you drop by tomorrow until the afternoon, then Stephanie can watch Elizabeth while you and I . . . have a . . . a date. Or something."

"That is a wonderful idea, Princess. See you tomorrow at nine, then."

When Kim had called Stephanie after Rayne's departure, the blonde was more than happy to help her friend out. She'd agreed to pick up Elizabeth around four in the afternoon from Kim's apartment. When Shego arrived there at nine the next morning, Kim told her about it and the pale-skinned woman said she'd have them back by 3 so there'd be ample time to get ready for their evening. Rayne helped Kim get a diaper/day bag ready for Elizabeth, then they were off. Their first stop was a park, where the two women simply walked around while taking turns pushing Elizabeth in her stroller. Whenever Kim was pushing, Rayne would have an arm around the redhead's shoulders, while Kim would wrap her arm around Shego's waist and rest her head on the taller woman's shoulder. Once, when they were like that, an elderly couple walking the other direction commented on what a beautiful family they were, prompting a genuine smile from Rayne and a blush from Kim.

After the park, Rayne drove them to a mom and pop diner, where she got to experience the joy of diaper changing. Though Kim took a bit of perverse delight in her former(?) girlfriend going through that, the other woman's expression as she came back lifted her spirit. Though it was obvious that she hadn't enjoyed the experience, Rayne radiated satisfaction at having helped.

"You're natural," Kim commented as she watched the other woman bottle feed Elizabeth. She, herself, was digging into the burger and fries she'd ordered.

"Never thought I'd be good at anything like this," the other confessed. "Though it was a dream of mine, back before the comet, to one day be a mother."

"Maybe you'll get another chance one day," the redhead replied quietly, drawing a surprised look from her date.

"Yeah," she agreed thoughtfully. "Maybe."

Their next destination surprised Kim: it was a children's theatre where a group was putting on a fairy tale puppet show. Though Elizabeth was, of course, still too young to understand what she was seeing, she enjoyed seeing the colorful puppets moving and dancing about. Kim simply enjoyed being around the pale-skinned woman, delighting in her presence and feeling extremely touched by her actions. She leaned against the older woman and laid her head on a shoulder. Raynr looked at her and smiled. Kim looked at her, too, and returned the smile.

"Thanks, Rayne," said, not needing to elaborate.

"Anything for you, my Princess."

 **E/N:** Sorry for the long delay. Had trouble getting my flow right. Also, the computer I use is having trouble, so RF is unable to be worked on or updated. In the next chapter, Kim and Shego (Rayne) go in their date, while Ron and Yori contact Wade and Kim's mom.


	5. Chapter 5

{A/N: No disclaimer this time; I think y'all got of by this point. :) }

*5.) Special Night*

Elizabeth had fallen asleep shortly before the puppet show had ended, so the two women decided to grab a quick snack before calling 'family time' - as they both secretly thought of it - done and getting ready for the not-quite-date later. Naturally, they find an ice cream vendor and Rayne orders mint chocolate chip while Kim gets a bubblegum and strawberry double scoop. The pale woman raised an eyebrow at the smaller woman, who had already devoured half of the strawberry scoop topping it.

"Whut?" Kim asked, pausing in her task with her tongue touching the ice cream.

"You're too cute," Rayne told her with a smile, causing Kim to blush. "Just where did it go? You've only had that jumbo-sized cone for, like, three seconds and half the strawberry is gone."

Kim's blush deepened and seemed to spread, which Rayne knew would undoubtedly end up in a full-body blush if she kept going.

"I . . . I don't get to have ice cream much," the redhead quietly replied.

"It's no big," the taller woman said, when she noticed Kim about to offer an explanation. "Gotta look out for our little princess, right?"

"Our?" Kim asked, catching the pronoun at the same time the pale-skinned woman did. Both of them blushed.

"I-I meant . . . your," Rayne lamely corrected herself.

"No you didn't," the redhead retorted in a sing-song voice, making her date blush even more.

"I-I did," was the weakly insistent reply.

"It's okay," Kim told her, patting the other's arm. "A bit too soon, though, since you haven't even proposed yet." That statement caused Rayne to choke on the ice cream cone in her mouth. Laughing, Kim carefully but firmly patted the older woman's back until she'd managed to stop.

"Not . . . funny . . . Princess . . . at all," she panted, trying to get her breath back.

"Choking isn't," the redhead agreed. "But choking on an ice cream cone because of what I said is." She let her chuckles fade away and sighed. "I'm glad you didn't stay away, Shego. I haven't felt this . . . this happy in a couple of years."

"You could've been this happy all the time if I hadn't left," Rayne replied, feeling guilty.

"That's in the past, okay?" Kim said reassuringly. "What's important is that you're here now." She smiled and added, "Now, let's drop me and Elizabeth at my apartment so I can call Stephanie and we can all get ready for tonight."

"Your wish is my command, Princess," Rayne said playfully, making a mocking bow.

TLP

Kim had just wrapped a towel around her torso when she heard a knock at her front door. Knowing it was still too early for Rayne to be there, she guessed it was Stephanie. Sighing, as her friend was earlier than she should've been, the redhead made sure the towel was secure around her (and that her hair wasn't dripping too much), she went to the door and let the blonde into the apartment.

"You look hot, Kane," she said, smirking.

"Shut up, Steph," Kim replied, heading back to the bathroom.

"Bite me, Kane."

"Did that already, you wimp," floated down the hall. Stephanie winced, because she remembered when the redhead actually HAD bitten her at her request; she'd gone celibate for a week.

"So, um, do I still call you 'Kane' now, or what?" the older woman asked, pitching her voice loud enough to be heard but not loud enough to wake the sleeping Elizabeth. "You know, since I know your secret identity and all."

"I'd prefer to be Kay Anne for now," Kim replied, going from the bathroom to her bedroom. She'd blow dried her hair and used a straightener as she wanted to do something different and special for tonight. Now that she'd accomplished that, it was time to go through her small and kinda plain wardrobe for something that would be 'date worthy.' "But . . . in private, like this, you can call me Kim."

"No problem . . . Kim," Stephanie agreed. "This is a big step for you, isn't it? And I don't just mean going on a date for the first time since I've known you, either."

"More than you know," Kim whispered to herself. It was so the drama; after all, not only was she going on a date, she was going on a date with the woman she loved who'd also broken her heart a couple of years ago. She was really nervous about this; apprehensive, too. She had had a really good time earlier, and honestly hadn't been that happy and at ease since the day Shego (Rayne!) had left her. What lessened the anxiety and fear the redhead felt was how the superpowered woman had interacted with her daughter. The plasma wielder had treated Elizabeth as though the little four-month-old was her own daughter instead of someone else's child. She didn't act or even seem like she was annoyed or disappointed or in any way negative about Kim's daughter; of course, THAT was obvious since she'd been the one to suggest all three spending the morning together. Kim didn't want to have her heart broken again, but she couldn't help feeling hope swell within her heart, as well as an irresistible urge to trust the pale woman.

'I can't go on avoiding things,' she thought. 'Sooner or later, I HAVE to open myself up to someone. And, really, there's only been one person I've ever truly trusted that much.' Nodding decisively, with a small smile gracing her lips, she reached into the back of her tiny closet and pulled out something she hadn't worn in more than three years.

An hour later, there was another knock at the door. Stephanie, of course, answered it as she was entertaining Elizabeth and Kim was trying to finish getting ready. When the blonde opened the door and saw Rayne.

"Hot damn!" she exclaimed, once she'd picked her jaw up off the floor. The pale woman was wearing a VERY figure-flattering pantsuit consisting of black pants with dark green pinstripes, a dark green top with black pinstripes, and a white shirt underneath it all. She also had a dark green tie on that wasn't tight around her neck but wasn't too loose, either. Her hair was done up in a high ponytail in the back, with a pair of 'wings' framing her face.

"Too much?" Rayne asked, a bit nervous.

"Oh, hell no," Stephanie protested. "You're absolutely delicious!" That remark caused Shego to blush heavily.

"Is Rayne here?" Kim called out.

"No, but a drop-dead gorgeous badass is!" the pale woman yelled back.

"Let me know when Rayne gets here, then!" Kim retorted; Rayne's expression made Stephanie burst out into laughter. A few minutes later Kim walked into the living room and both older women felt their jaws drop through the floor. Though an LBD was always stunning, what Kim looked like in one moved to a divine level. She hadn't grown too much from when she'd first bought the dress, so it still fit almost like it had back then; though now it showed a bit more cleavage than it was intended to. In addition to the little black dress, Kim wore a pair of tasteful black heels with ribbon straps that went halfway up her calves, and a dark green choker with a small green emerald hanging from it. She had a light green jacket that looked mid-thigh length draped over one arm.

"What are you two staring at?" Kim asked, breaking the spell the other two seemed to be under.

"A goddess," Rayne replied, making the redhead blush.

"Yeah, what she said," Stephanie agreed, her brain still not quite working again. Rayne stepped forward and held out a single red rose.

"This is for you," the pale woman said unnecessarily. "I, um, wanted to do white and all, but I-I thought that would be going too fast."

"It's perfect, Rayne," Kim reassured her, taking the flower. She looked over at her friend. "I, um, don't know when we'll be back so-"

"Don't worry, Kim," the blonde reassured her. "We'll be fine. You two go and have a good time."

Kim nodded, thankful to have such an amazing friend, and slipped her arm through Rayne's as the taller woman guided her out the door.

TLP

Shego glanced over at Kim as she drove towards the restaurant she'd selected for their date. The redhead seemed nervous, really nervous, and she could understand that completely; she was nervous herself. After all, in spite of this morning, it had been two years since they'd seen each other and their parting hadn't been on any terms at all and had apparently broken (or at least wounded) the redhead's spirit and heart. The retired villainess truly did love the former globe-trotting hero, and wanted to do right by her now, as well as make up for what she'd done. The raven-haired woman took a slow, deep breath and let it out before speaking.

"Relax, Kimmie," she said gently. "I won't bite."

"That's what you told me a few months after we'd started having sex," Kim reminded her. "I woke up the next afternoon with three deep love bites; TWO of them in plain sight on my neck!"

"Oh, yeah," Rayne mumbled, her expression sheepish. "Well, I promise not to do it at all tonight. No bad behavior; tonight, I want to treat you like the princess I see you as." That fervent desire, stated so gently, coaxed a blush to Kim's cheeks, and proved to her (again) what she was starting to realize was true: Shego (Rayne!) had really changed and truly did love her.

"You know," the redhead said quietly, after a few moments of comfortable silence, "I believe that my daughter really likes you."

"Really?" the pale woman asked, unable to hide her surprise at that. "Wh-What makes you think that?"

"She didn't cry at all around you," Kim told her. "It took her about a week to get used to Stephanie; Elizabeth didn't actually cry like you'd expect a baby that young to, but she would have silent cries and would actually get the hiccups because of it."

"Wow," Rayne said softly. Now that Kim had brought it up, she realized the redhead was right. "But why? I mean, she's . . . what? Four months?"

"Maybe she can sense what I know," the redhead replied. "That you're a wonderful, loving, and amazing woman."

"I'm trying to be, anyway," the green-tinted woman mumbled.

"You are," Kim insisted, patting the older woman's arm. "You just . . . needed some time to figure it out for yourself."

"You're pretty cute when you're understanding," Rayne told her, making her blush. "Hey, we're here," she added. Kim looked out of the car and saw that they were pulling up to one of the most exclusive restaurants in Seattle.

"Rayne . . . I-I can't afford this," Kim said, her anxiety coming back.

"Who the hell said you were paying for anything tonight?" Rayne asked, feeling a bit insulted; like she'd EVER make (or even allow!) Kim pay for anything on a date.

"Well," the redhead began, "I just thought-"

"No, you didn't," the pale woman interrupted, stopping in front of the doors as a valet began moving towards them. "You're MY princess, and when I take you out, I'M paying, you're enjoying."

As much as she wanted to insist otherwise, Kim was overwhelmed by the other woman's words. Plus, the valet's arrival curtailed that particular discussion. As the man drove away to park the car and Rayne led the way into the restaurant, the redhead decided not to argue anymore that night and just go with the flow.

TLP

The dinner was utterly fantastic as far as both women were concerned. While both had ordered dishes and desserts they each liked, neither really remembered what they'd eaten. The food wasn't important, not to them; the person they were with was all that mattered. The past, especially Kim's for the past couple of years, was left alone; their conversation was filled with talk about music interests, favorite movies, and other similar subjects. Kim admitted to having not practiced her martial arts or cheerleading since vanishing, and Rayne explained about her job. She admitted the irony of an ex-thief running a security service, which Kim had thought was funny (as the older woman had intended). Kim had confessed that she was having a rough time of it, telling her date that it was getting harder and harder for her to earn enough money to pay for her apartment without sacrificing time with her daughter; it was hard enough to spend the time that working two jobs demanded.

"I'd like to help you, Kim," Rayne told her. "I left you, that first night I showed up, all the information you needed to use one of my accounts."

"You did?" Kim was surprised by that, as she hadn't noticed the paper.

"I should've guessed you would've missed it," the raven-haired woman replied wryly, prompting a blush from the other. "If you wanted to keep working, I wouldn't stop you; hell, I'd help you get working at something you actually WANT to do if you wanted."

"I . . ." Kim's response trailed off. Rayne raised an eyebrow, which prompted the redhead to continue. "I want to go to college," she went on. "I'm not sure what I want to study, anymore, so I'd have to figure that out again."

"I'll cover it," Rayne told her. Kim's shocked expression asked the question. "Whatever your major, whatever the school, I'll pay for it. I'll even babysit while you're in classes."

"I-I can't ask that," the redhead said.

"I'm not asking," the older woman put in. "I'm telling you. If you want to quit your jobs to go back to school, and study whatever, I'll pay for it."

"Rayne . . . " Kim was finding this all hard to believe.

"I ran away when you really needed me, Kim. I can never make up for that. So, if you'll let me, I will be here for you now, for as long as you want me."

TLP

After dinner, Rayne drove them to the same park they'd gone to earlier. Her original plan was to take Kim to a movie, but that didn't seem romantic enough for her so she changed it to a walk in the park during sunset. Kim found it as romantic as the older woman had hoped it would be, and neither felt the need to talk. Though they didn't want the night to end, Rayne decided they were calling it a night; she knew that while Kim was enjoying herself completely and totally, she was beginning to miss her daughter. Kim, naturally, protested the 'early' end of their date, but not too hard.

As they headed back to the redhead's apartment, Rayne sensed a different mood come over her princess. It felt heavy, difficult. That was confirmed when Kim asked her to stay for awhile once they got there. After they walked into the apartment and Stephanie told them how Elizabeth had done and that she had just laid her down, the blonde pestered them for details about their date. Kim promised to tell her all about it tomorrow, and the other woman left. The redhead led the way to her pathetic-looking couch and the two sat down. A moment of silence passed before Rayne said, "Okay, Princess. Something's on your mind, now out with it."

"Blunt and straight to the point," Kim said with a brittle laugh. Then she looked at the woman she loved. "I had an amazing time tonight, Rayne. It was so unbelievable that I feel as though it was a dream." She sighed heavily. "But you've been so patient, even though I can tell you're deliberately reigning in your curiosity, that I don't want to hold it back anymore."

"Kim, if you're not ready to tell me then don't," the pale woman told her. "I'm not going to force it out of you, no matter how much I want to know."

"You're going to know," the redhead replied. "I want there to be an 'us' again, Rayne. I didn't realize just how much I truly missed 'us' until tonight. For that to happen, you . . . you need to know what happened to me after you left.'

"Alright," Rayne agreed. "I can't - and won't - argue with that." She took a deep breath and let it out in a long huff. "So. What happened? How did you, THE Kim Possible, and up a single mother in a shitty-ass apartment all the way in Seattle with absolutely no one knowing what happened to you?"

"Well," Kim said, "it's kind of a cliché way to start, but it all started two years ago . . . . ."

{E/N: And it's finally coming! The moment you've all been waiting for! In the next chapter, we flash back to two years ago, and learn just what happened to Kim a month after Shego's mysterious and then-explanationless disappearance.}


	6. Chapter 6

{A/N: Now to the part you're all wondering about. What happened to Kim after Shego left.}

*6. Aftermath*

/Two years ago, one month after Shego's disappearance/

One month. That's how long it's been since Kim Possible stopped hopping around the world and went back to Middleton. After a year of traveling around the world, jetting here and there, doing the hero thing, she'd come back. One would think that the redheaded teen hero would've felt as though she'd returned home, after being away or not being there for so long. But she didn't. Kim still considered Middleton her hometown, of course; after all, she'd been born here. But it wasn't home. Not any longer. It hadn't taken her the whole month to figure that out; it hadn't even taken a day.

"Kimmie?" It was her mom. Again. It was the third time she'd come into the teen's room that day alone. Kim acknowledged that she was probably worrying her mom a lot more nowadays than when she'd first returned. After all, in the past month she had slowly withdrawn into herself, left her parents' home less and less. In just the past week, she'd barely left her room outside of eating and bathing.

"Come on, Kimmie," she heard her mom say. "You need to get out. This . . . this isn't healthy, honey."

Kim just shrugged and continued staring out the window, watching the rain fall against it. She sensed her mom coming up behind her, but the older redhead did nothing more than lay a hand on her shoulder and giving a light squeeze before leaving again. 'Why did she leave?' she asked herself, her face mirroring the window as her tears imitated the rain. 'I thought . . . I thought she was happy being with me; why did she leave?' Every day since she'd woken up in that bed alone, she'd been trying to figure out why the pale-skinned ex-villain had just disappeared. A whole year they'd been together, since the teen had graduated high school and the Lowardians had been defeated. They hadn't been TOGETHER together, but Shego had joined her on her break from anything school-related (she'd wanted to focus on just the hero work for a whole year so she could feel better about going into semi-retirement while in college). Ron had been accepted into a culinary school in Europe, but he'd helped the the two females until he had to leave.

'And now the world depends on him,' she thought. There was no resentment or anger with that thought; after all, she wasn't saving the world anymore. She had no motivation for it in recent days. She'd tried to keep going, of course, but a few close encounters during the first two weeks she'd been back along with a mission that had ended with her being badly injured - nearly killed, as a matter of fact - had convinced her that she was no good at it anymore. Global Justice tried to take over the teen hero's missions, but shortly had to bring in Ron and Yori, his Yamanouchi-trained girlfriend. Team Stoppable proved to be just as efficient and skilled as Team Possible had been; more so, since Ron's skill in Monkey Kung Fu had drastically improved and was coupled with Yori's ninja skills. Shego had been the biggest surprise to her, though; she had fought the older woman for years, and while she would always claim to be evil she never actually seemed evil. She'd even admitted at one point during their post-invasion Team Possible days that she had always been more of a bad girl than truly evil.

'She always said she was straight, too,' Kim thought. 'Couldn't really understand that after we started having sex. Maybe . . . maybe I did something to drive her away. Been too aggressive, o-or something.' Kim felt a sob shake her, then another. 'I wish she'd come back to me, or at least call. I'd . . . I'd be happy with just a letter. As long as she did something to let me know she's at least alive somewhere.'

/Four months after Shego's disappearance/

Three months later actually found Kim outside and sitting on a bench in Middleton Park. It had taken a forced intervention from Monique and - shockingly - Bonnie to get her out of her room and her house. They'd forced her to go to the mall with them and had dragged her around to every store they possibly could. While she hadn't gotten anything that time, or the next few times she'd been shanghaied to the mall, but those forced trips had brought her out of her apathy; but not really her depression. She had figured out why she'd been so badly affected by Shego's disappearance: she'd fallen in love with her one-time arch nemesis. That realization had actually helped lift her up, even if she still couldn't figure out why the superpowered woman had vanished. Wade couldn't find her, though he'd only been searching for a couple of weeks.

The reason Kim was in the park, dressed in some of her new clothes (right now consisting of dark green flared slacks and a black elbow-length shirt) was because she was waiting for her girlfriend. It had taken some convincing from Monique - a lot of convincing, actually - before she agreed to 'get out there.' It had actually been during one of their shopping trips, as Kim had decided that her wardrobe of pink, white, and blue clothes was too cheery and she chose a new one (she hadn't really paid attention, but her new wardrobe mainly had clothes in black and dark green, with some dark blue thrown in). She'd bumped into an old cheer squad member, Tara, and had been asked out by the blonde; in spite of being gay herself, she hadn't picked up on the fact that Tara was also a lesbian. Monique had accepted on her behalf, which would've bothered her if she'd been in a better state of mind; as it was she had just gone along with it. It hadn't turned out too bad, if she was honest with herself. Tara had been kind, considerate, and hadn't pushed Kim on anything. The redhead knew she wasn't much of a girlfriend, but her former classmate hadn't really cared. She had just enjoyed being around Kim.

"Kim!" she heard a shout. Turning her head, she saw the blonde walking towards her with a smile on her face and a hand waving enthusiastically. A smile, small though it was, appeared on her own face and she returned the other girl's wave. She got to her feet right as her girlfriend reached her.

"I didn't think you'd come, Kim," Tara admitted, blushing in embarrassment. It actually was a valid concern, as Kim had gotten an unfortunate habit of forgetting things every now and then.

"I wrote a note to remind myself," the redhead admitted. She let out a heavy sigh, and added, "I'm sorry I'm not a good girlfriend, Tara."

"I don't think you're a bad one," the blonde replied. "You've had a tough time over the past few months, and I understand completely."

"It isn't fair to you, though," Kim told her. "You've been so patient and understanding with me. I know it's only been a couple of weeks since we started going out, but I feel like I've been letting you down."

"You don't want to break up? Do you?" Tara asked, her expression falling.

"No!" Kim exclaimed, shocked. "Sorry; I didn't mean to yell." She pulled her girlfriend into a tight embrace. "I don't know how long we'll last, but I don't want to end things now."

"I'm glad, Kim," the blonde said just as softly. "I can tell that you're pining after someone, and I'm just happy to have you for as long as I'm able to."

/Eight months after Shego's disappearance/

Kim and Tara had managed to stay together for a month after that day before they broke up; it'd been a mutual decision between them. It had hurt, of course, but turned out to be for the best. Tara had moved on a few days after the breakup, and was actually going out with a drama major from Upperton University - and they were still together. Kim had also moved on; or tried to. The next girl she'd gone out with she had ended up walking in on the girl and her boyfriend; they'd been together only a week, and Kim had ended their relationship by putting the cheater's boyfriend in the hospital with a broken arm and a dislocated knee. Of course, he'd tried to beat her so it was called as self-defense (even if she'd been extreme about it). She had gotten a lecture from both of her parents about that.

Strangely enough, she hadn't even really been angry about her girlfriend cheating on her; sure, there'd been a moment or two of anger and betrayal, but both had left pretty quickly. Honestly, she hadn't really cared much after that and had broken up with the girl. That had made her upset, and caused her boyfriend to attempt to beat Kim. She'd left relationships alone after that, and not even Monique had pushed her on that. And while Kim had retired from the world-saving 'business,' many people still wanted her help. She mainly accepted 'missions' that only had her speaking at places like high schools and charity events; using her name to inspire kids to do their best at whatever they choose to do, or to draw attention to things like wildlife conservation and cancer research.

She did stuff like that because it was the right thing to do, and it was what people expected of THE Kim Possible. But she no longer had the heart to put into it. She faked it, and for the most part people bought the act; the exceptions being her family and close friends. She'd even sold her collection of Cuddle Buddies, with one exception, and donated the money to a children's hospital. The one exception was a custom-ordered green and black pandaroo Shego had given her for birthday during the year they'd been together. And even though it had been eight months since the woman she loved had disappeared (Wade hadn't been able to find a single trace of her anywhere), the pain was just as strong as though it had happened yesterday. She sighed, and took a sip from her soda; she didn't remember what flavor Monique had ordered for her, and didn't really care. Lately, she had been finding it hard to really care about much, though it had been five months since she'd planned out a suicide (she had made sure to write them down instead of typing them up, and had burned away all traces whenever she didn't start one). Whenever she'd tried, she would have Shego's face flash before her mind's eye and found herself stopping immediately.

"Girl, you aren't even listening, are you?" Monique's voice cut into her thoughts.

"I am," Kim contradicted distractedly.

"Really? What did I say, then, GF?" the mocha-skinned girl pressed.

"Something about something," the redhead replied, taking another sip.

"Oh, sure. That covers . . . nothing at all."

"Sorry," Kim said, trying to be apologetic.

"What's wrong, Kim?"

'Nothing."

"Sure. And Ron's joining the Middleton Space Center as head of research and development."

"That's nice."

"Kim!"

"What, Monique?!" the redhead snapped, surprising her friend. "I don't care, okay?! The woman I love left me for no reason I can tell, hasn't bothered to get in touch in any way, and might as well have fallen off the face of the fucking Earth for all the success Wade's been having in finding her! I can't cope with that, and have fucked up two - no, three! - relationships because of that!"

"Um, technically, Megan wasn't your screw up; she cheated on you, after all," Monique replied quietly.

"Thank you for pointing that out, Captain Obvious!" Kim snarled.

"Actually, that's Ron," the other girl said, trying to defuse the situation. She failed miserably when Kim gave a scream of frustration and stormed off; she was unaware of the stares she'd attracted.

She was walking home, her stride full of anger. She knew Monique had meant well, had only been trying to lighten the mood, but that didn't lessen her anger. The guilt that she felt over her overreaction only fueled her anger more, and directed it at herself. She hadn't noticed the weather changing until the sky opened up on her and dropped a deluge on her head. She stopped and stares up into the sky, blinking rapidly as the rain hit her eyes.

"Okay, okay, I get it," she mumbled, dropping her head and trudging on. "I'm an inconsiderate, thoughtless, dumbass bitch."

As she walked on, the weather deteriorated so much that Kim took shelter in a covered bus stop. It didn't provide much shelter, but it was better than being out in the rain directly. She took a deep breath and let it out, though it sounded more like a sob as it left her. That undid her, and soon she was sobbing uncontrollably; her body shaking and her breath hitching as she sobbed. She didn't know how long it went on, but it was interrupted by a question: "Hey, are you okay?"

Raising her head up felt like Atlas lifting the world, but quicker than she thought Kim's gaze fell upon the concerned face of another redhead, though her hair was a darker, deeper color than her own.

"You wouldn't believe me if I said I was," Kim mumbled, dropping her eyes again - only to find a hand under her chin gently raising her head up.

"Someone as pretty as you shouldn't be so sad," the other young woman told her.

"You wouldn't think I'm anything if you knew how I'd just treated my best friend," she replied, tears (or rain, she didn't know which at this point) still falling down her face.

"Well, that's easy to fix; just apologize to her. She'll understand, if she's truly a friend." The girl smiled and held out the hand she'd lifted Kim's chin with, as the other was holding an umbrella. "I'm Heather."

"Kim," the lighter redhead replied, taking the offered hand.

/13 months ago, 1 year after Shego's disappearance/

Kim was once again depressed. It had been months since she'd felt this bad. Her depression warred with self-loathing; she hated herself for trusting Heather those four months ago. But she'd been so kind and understanding, had only pushed her as needed, and had given her space when she'd needed it, too. And Heather had gotten Kim to willingly do what she had once needed to be forced to do: go out and be social. Her 'happy mask' became genuine, and her enthusiasm was once again infectious. But in spite of everything the darker redhead had done, Kim couldn't forget Shego. She knew that the pale woman was a member of the Go family of (obviously) Go City, even if the children's names weren't public knowledge. Their real names, anyway. So when she'd gotten an invitation to the Go family's annual charity gala, she had immediately RSVP'd. Heather hadn't been happy about that, as she'd been planning on them attending a high-society costume ball that evening. Kim asked if the ball was gathering donations for a charity or something similar, but her girlfriend had said it was a meet and greet of the rich and famous. Kim refused to cancel her RSVP, stating that the charity gala was a better use of their time and would be more relaxed. Heather got mad, feeling insulted by Kim's honest opinion, and the two started bickering; mostly Heather, though, as she tried whatever tactic she thought would work to change Kim's mind. Nothing worked, though, and after a screaming argument Heather publicly and humiliatingly dumped Kim - the day OF the charity gala. So now Kim was at the party, in a strapless red floor-length dress that complimented her figure and brought out her eyes, all alone and at the bar. The Gos - or at least Alice, Shego's mom - didn't put a minimum age limit on their bar, so Kim was nursing her third Long Island Iced Tea and feeling a pleasant buzz beginning to emerge in the back of her head.

She felt someone watching her, but whenever she looked around she couldn't spot anyone in particular; after all, being a single woman drinking alone at the bar in the dress she had on would definitely attract attention. She sighed, hating herself for what happened between her and Heather, depressed about being alone again, and falling into the dark hole within her heart.

And almost unaware of someone approaching her from behind.

/Present/

"Fuck me, Princess," Rayne said in stunned shock. She'd had no idea just how bad Kim had gotten while she was off finding herself and reconciling with her family. "I had no idea things had gotten like that for you."

"Yeah," Kim confirmed. "I was in a pretty bad place, mentally and emotionally, the night of your parents' party. Publicly, though, I made sure I seemed fine."

"You had me fooled," the pale woman replied quietly.

"You wouldn't have been if you'd personally been where I was." The redhead held up a hand to forestall the protest. "I'm not blaming you or anything. I never did, really. Not even for leaving."

"I should've been there for you, Princess. No matter how scared I was then."

"We can't change the past, Rayne," Kim told her. "What matters is that you're here, now."

"I don't deserve you," the older woman replied, leaning in to kiss her redhead.

"I don't deserve you, either," came the expected response after they'd parted.

"So, Kimmie, what happened next?" Rayne asked, her curiosity beyond piqued. "What happened at that party? Why'd you disappear? And . . . and where did Elizabeth come from?"

"Well, you see, Rayne," Kim began, "it usually requires a man and a woman to-"

"Kiiim!" the pale woman groaned exasperatedly.

"Okay, okay," the redhead said with a laugh. "Back to that party. I was sitting alone at the bar, not quite drunk, when one of the other party guests came up to me . . . . . ."

{E/N: And that's chapter 6! Damn, what a year for Kim. In the next chapter, the origins of Elizabeth Anne Possible and the reasons for Kim's disappearance are finally revealed! Might even have a guest appearance by Ron and Yori!}


	7. Chapter 7

{A/N: I bet y'all thought you'd learn about Elizabeth in the last chapter. ;) It's this chapter, so on with the show.}

*7.) The Secret of Elizabeth Anne*

/13 months before present/

"He-ey, Kim!" the former hero heard from behind her. Kim turned around and saw a young man that tickled her fogged memory.

"And you -hic- are?" she asked, her alcoholic intake causing her to hiccup.

"Josh Mankey, remember? I'm the cool guy you dated back in junior year," he replied with a (to him) smooth and charming smile.

"I remember the name," Kim admitted. "But you weren't that cool."

"You seemed to think so then," Josh reminded her, the smile never leaving his face.

"As I -hic- recall, I was pretty into the closet back then, too," was her rejoinder. She signaled the bartender for another drink.

"Kim, Kim," he said, shaking his head slightly as he took a stool next to the redhead, "you and I both know that when a girl says she's a lesbian, she really means she hasn't found the right man."

"I'm pretty -hic- sure that when I came out I -hic- meant it," she told him, after downing half of her 4th drink.

"Choose to be straight again, then," he suggested. "You and me? We went good together."

"I'm not into the -hic- male persuasion," Kim insisted adamantly.

"You want to dance, then?" Josh asked, changing topic faster than her alcohol-soaked mind could keep up with. "Just dancing, between two old schoolmates."

"I suppose a dance couldn't hurt," she mumbled, accepting his proffered arm. He led the way out onto the dance floor, where the orchestral band was playing a moderately-paced set. The blonde/brunette took the lead in the dancing, leading the drunk ex-teen hero through a few dances. The spinning and twirling, combined with her drunkenness, soon had Kim giggling more than a bit (a little on the mad side, if she was honest with herself). Soon, though, Josh was leading her off the dance floor and away from the party, claiming that she was quite drunk and needed to lay down. Kim agreed with the needing to lay down part.

He took Kim to what looked like a sitting room down a hall that was close to the party, but isolated from it as well. He took a liberty with her, after he'd shut the door, and planted a kiss on her lips. Kim felt a pair of soft lips on her own, and her semiconscious fogged up mind assumed she was being kissed by a woman. She returned the kiss, and let out a moan as she felt a pair of soft hands caress her hips. It didn't take long, as such things went, for Kim to find her dress bunched up past her waist and shoved down from her breasts. When she felt something nudging her entrance, though, adrenaline flooded her system, chasing away her alcohol-induced stupor. With the clarity came an awareness of her situation.

"Stop, Josh," Kim said, moving to push him away. But being on top of her gave him leverage, especially since her body was still shaking off the effects of the alcohol.

"No can do, Kim," he replied. "You wanted this."

"I'm drunk, Josh," she tried to reason. "It isn't right to take advantage of someone who's drunk."

"You wanted this, and you're going to get it," he said forcefully. No one heard Kim's screams and cries for him to stop, and after he was done she was too distraught and ashamed to do anything more than run out of the party and take a cab home.

/1 year before present/

It was a month after that party, where Josh Mankey had taken advantage of her emotional and drunken state to rape her, and Kim was staring at the stick in her hands. She was glaring at its verdict, even as the bottom fell out of her stomach and steel bands of fear squeezed tightly around her heart. Kim, in spite of her previously active and strenuous lifestyle, had always been as regular as a Swiss clock when it came to her period. So when she missed this one, she prayed it was just a hormonal shift from the emotional trauma of the past month. She'd gotten a test, and then had gotten a second one after seeing the first one's result. Two different tests, from two high end brands noted for their highly accurate results, and both said the same thing.

She was pregnant.

"Damn it," she said, feeling tears gather in her eyes. 'This isn't fair,' she thought. 'He raped me just that one time, and now I'm carrying that bastard's baby.' She didn't blame the now-developing child, of course; it wasn't his (or her) fault, after all. 'I can't stay here,' she told herself. While she knew her parents loved her, and would be more than willing to help her with the baby - HER baby - she couldn't put them through what would follow. They wouldn't let what others said about her bother them, wouldn't care about what the know-nothing media vultures would say and imply and hint. She didn't want to have to deal with what people would say about her - whether it was behind her back or not. And she viewed abortion as murder, and would never do that to anyone - much less an unborn child that had yet to do anything.

Going through with her decision, Kim began filling a backpack up with clothes and undergarments. She grabbed her stuff out of the bathroom, and raided a box under her bed (and one in her closet) for her 'emergency cash' - which actually came to about three thousand dollars. Looking at the backpack, Kim wondered about her choice. No one would hold what had happened against her - as far as her family and friends were concerned, anyway - and would be more than happy to help her out. But she couldn't burden them with this; they had their own lives to worry about. And no one would really notice - or care - that 'former teen hero' Kim Possible vanished. She'd leave behind anything that would allow her to be tracked or easily located. She couldn't use an alias, either, if she needed to get a job while being ghosted; she'd need Wade to set up a legitimate one and the less of a trail she left the better. She knew of a few places in the US where people who owed her favors lived; she would head to one of them and call in the favors.

/1 month later, 11 months before present/

Kim took a month to make her way across the country; partly out of a need to completely vanish without a trace, partly because she didn't really know where she wanted to go. A week after she'd left, she got her hair cut down to a punk-style near buzz cut. A week after that, she decided that she would go to the northwest part of the country; maybe cross over into Canada. Right now, though, she was puking up her breakfast in the restroom of a restaurant called Tai Chi Latte Café. 'This is about right,' she thought. She'd picked up a book about pregnancy, and morning sickness was supposed to start around the second month of the first trimester.

"Are you okay, ma'am?" she heard someone ask. Taking a moment to make sure nothing else would come up, Kim turned to see a blonde woman wearing the café's uniform looking at her in concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine," the redhead replied. "Happened yesterday, too."

"Morning sickness," the other woman said knowingly. At Kim's surprised expression she chuckled. "My sister had a baby recently, and I looked out for her the entire time so I'm familiar with the signs." She held out a hand and helped the redhead up. "I'm Stephanie."

"K-Anne," Kim replied, automatically starting to use her first name but quickly stumbling into her middle name.

"Kay Anne?" Stephanie asked.

"Kay is the initial for my first name," Kim said. "But I've been going by my middle name."

"Well, Kane," the blonde said with a wink, "welcome to Seattle."

/3 months later, 8 months before present/

Meeting Stephanie three months ago had been a blessing in disguise for the redhead; she told Kim about the café needing another waitress, and helped her boss hire 'K. Anne P.' Kim also got a job at a nearby SmartyMart because she'd helped that particular franchise's owner out before. Stephanie had also helped Kim locate an apartment and had even paid the security deposit on it. Kim knew how lucky she was to have met her; the older woman was also into the 'friends with benefits' idea. She didn't push Kim - or 'Kane' as she insisted on calling the redhead - into it, but only put the offer on the table for the younger woman to accept or reject. While appreciative of having a friend, and for the chance to live a life out of the limelight, Kim always seemed to be in some kind of funk. It wasn't depression, or even close to it. Neither was she at the opposite end of the spectrum. A resigned state of being seemed to be the best way to describe her mental and emotional state. She was going through the motions of living, without actually living. Stephanie knew that Kim was feeling the pain of a broken heart that had never healed, and always tried to help the redhead out however she could.

Kim enjoyed - as much as she could currently - working at the café, and the job at SmartyMart gave her a place to slow her thoughts down in mind-numbing drudgery. Her apartment - not much bigger overall than her old room at her parents' house - was all set for the arrival of her daughter; her boss at the café was covering her medical expenses until after the baby was born, and last month's visit had given her the baby's sex. She hadn't decided on a first name yet, though she knew she'd use 'Anne' for the middle name, and of course her last name would be Possible. She had made sure to send her mom a postcard, letting the older redhead know she was in Seattle (but not where) and that she was doing fine (she didn't let her know about her future granddaughter). She did feel a little guilty about not telling her mom everything, but stuck by her decision. Maybe one day she'd go back and make things right. Maybe.

/5 months later, 3 months before present/

"She's so beautiful," Stephanie cooed, looking down at Kim's one-month-old daughter. The blonde had tried to hold little Elizabeth Anne Possible (though the redhead had introduced her daughter simply as Elizabeth Anne), but the baby had started crying; oddly, though, she barely made a sound as she cried.

"She is," Kim agreed, smiling down at the tiny bundle in her arms. Thanks to her years as a teen hero, Kim was used to getting random and sporadic amounts of sleep; but not as often in a row as her daughter made her. As stressful and exhausting as it all was, Kim wouldn't trade any of it. While she wished the rape hadn't happened, and had nightmares about it, she didn't regret what resulted from that night. And now she knew how her mom must have felt when she herself had given birth. Stephanie didn't stay too much longer, as Elizabeth had just fallen asleep for her nap and Kim planned on taking one herself, but easily agreed to babysit for Kim as often as she needed to. After her friend had left and Kim had put her daughter in the crib, she climbed into her own bed but didn't fall asleep right away. Instead, she thought for a few moments about a couple of things: college and Shego. She still wanted to go to college one day, but figured she could do that while Elizabeth was in school and schedule her classes during that time. As for Shego . . . the pale-skinned plasma thrower was never far from her thoughts anyway. Kim still wondered how the older woman was doing, if she was even still alive, and if she thought about her. 'I wish I could see her again,' Kim thought as she finally drifted off to sleep. 'Just once. To tell her that I love her, and that I'm sorry for whatever I did to drive her away.'

/Present day/

"God, Kim," Rayne breathed, tears falling down her face as Kim finished her tale. "I didn't mean to fuck up your life that bad."

"Rayne . . ." Kim said, hearing the pain in her love's voice.

"If I hadn't left, you wouldn't have gotten so fucking depressed and ended up in such a bad place emotionally and otherwise. You wouldn't have had such bad luck with relationships, wouldn't have gotten raped-"

"And I wouldn't have Elizabeth," the redhead interrupted. "And while we would've always been together, we might've had to result to genetic engineering or something; probably from Drakken or DNAmy."

"Hell no!" Rayne protested vehemently.

"So while the road to this point was long, hard, and almost like hell on Earth," Kim went on, "I wouldn't trade any of what happened for that. As hard as that might be to believe."

"No, no," the pale woman said. "I agree. It might've taken me a lot longer to realize how much I love you, and to make peace with myself and my family - not to mention making a living legitimately."

"I could've always become your pet," Kim replied jokingly.

"That might've been fun," the other woman agreed with a chuckle. "I could've had you wear collars and do pet tricks and shit." The two women shared some small laughs at the mental images those words produced, and settled into silence - until they looked at each other and burst out into laughter. Their mirth was shortened, though, when they heard Elizabeth crying.

"Go on," Rayne said, still smiling. "Your daughter needs you. I can let myself out." Kim headed towards her bedroom, but stopped before leaving.

"Could you stay tonight?" the redhead asked. "I . . . I'd like you to hold me, while I sleep. Please?"

"Anything for you, Princess," Rayne agreed, getting up and walking towards her girlfriend. "Anything at all."

Ron and Yori stepped out of the airport in Seattle and headed towards the car rental kiosk. After they'd arrived in Middleton, the two of them had gotten in touch with Wade and talked with Kim's mom. She'd been reluctant to discuss her daughter, and had only talked about Shego's visit when Wade confirmed the superpowered woman had been there. While the redhead hadn't said anything, there'd been a postcard sitting on the table in the den. Deliberately so, Ron thought. So he'd quickly took a peek at it when Anne had gone to make some tea. It had been postmarked in Seattle, WA, which is why Ron and Yori were now there. Ron knew how his best friend had felt about the plasma thrower, and just what the woman's disappearance had done to her. He didn't know what Shego intended to do in regards to Kim, but he'd finally learned not to judge the present based on the past. People, even Shego, had the capability to change for the better if they wanted. He and Yori would just have to find either Kim or Shego - or both of them - and learn what the sitch was. They would have to start tomorrow, though, as the sun was already down.

"I have rented us a small car with an excellent record for safety, Ron-kun," Yori said as she returned from the kiosk. He smiled at his girlfriend.

"That's good," he replied. "I looked through some listings, and there's a hotel not too far from here. It's in what I guess is a middle class area of the city, and is actually recommended for tourists."

"It would be a good place to center our search for Possible-san," the kunoichi (female ninja) agreed.

"I just hope she is still here, and hasn't moved on. She's just as good as Shego when it comes to ghosting."

{E/N: Boo-yah! Now y'all know the secret of Kim's daughter. The reference to the collars and Kim being a pet is drawn from StarvingLunatic's Walking the Line story; it's a fantastic read. In the next chapter, we'll see Kim and Rayne make a step forward in the relationship as well as near-encounter with Ron and Yori; maybe some other things, too.}


	8. Chapter 8

{A/N: The last two chapters were hard to write, as necessary as they were. Hope y'all are enjoying the journey so far.}

8.) Family Day

Kim woke up the next morning feeling better than she had ever felt in two years. The sense of comfort and warmth she had right now made her feel lighter, more relaxed. She couldn't figure out why she felt like this after so long, then she became aware of a weight on her. Her first reaction was panic, as memory of the last time someone had been on her flooded through her mind. She felt a pair of arms tighten around her, and immediately felt her body relax. Apparently, she'd been thrashing a bit in her panic and it had woken up Rayne.

"Shhh," the pale woman said soothingly. "It's okay, Kim. It's just me, Cupcake. Just me." Kim started crying a bit, a little upset that she'd freaked out like that. "And don't even think about apologizing," she warned, anticipating the younger woman's next action. "It's okay."

"Rayne, I-"

"That better not be an apology."

"It's just . . . I . . ."

"You remembered that son of a bitch bastard of a fucktard," Rayne finished for her. Kim nodded, and felt the embrace tighten a bit then loosen as she was hugged. She wiggled around in the taller woman's arms until they were facing each other.

"When Steph and I would, you know, have sex, she never stayed around - mostly at my insistence - so I never got used to having someone in my bed," Kim explained. "Even if there was no sex involved last night."

"I'm not worried about that, Princess," the pale woman said, kissing the tip of the redhead's nose and making her giggle a little. "I am impressed, though, that you were able to be physically intimate at all."

"The first few times weren't easy," she admitted. "I had a lot of flashes about what Josh did to me and would have severe anxiety and panic attacks. Stephanie suspected I'd been raped, and just let me go at my own pace. She . . . she helped through the physical issues I had."

"She sounds like a great person," Rayne murmured. "I'm . . . well, I'm honestly surprised I don't have to compete with her for you."

"Only one person has ever had my heart," Kim told her, leaning forward and giving the pale woman a soft kiss on the lips. "No one else ever had a chance to get in there, except for Elizabeth; but she IS our daughter, after all."

"Our?" the raven-haired woman echoed, making Kim blush when she realized what she had said.

"Um, well, I, uh," the redhead stammered, making her girlfriend chuckle. The younger woman chuckled herself, and relaxed. "I don't want you to leave me again, Shego," she said, deliberately using the woman's old alias. The pale woman accepted the reprimand.

"Never again," she promised, "for as long as you'll have me."

The tender moment didn't last much longer after that as Elizabeth woke up. Before Kim could do more than sit up, Rayne was out of bed and over at the crib. The older woman picked the four-month-old up and cradled her tenderly before turning and looking at the redhead.

"You can rest a bit longer," Rayne told her with a caring smile. "I'll tend to her."

"Thank you," the redhead replied, feeling a swell of love surge through her.

"Like I said before, Kim," the pale woman said, "anything for you." She carried Elizabeth out of the bedroom and headed to the kitchen to warm up a bottle of milk as Kim laid back down in the bed. She didn't fall back asleep, though; instead, she began thinking. Things weren't like they had been the last time the two of them had been together like this; but then, it HAD been two years and a lot had happened in that time. Yet the closeness, the love, that had existed between them back then was still there. 'Actually,' she realized, 'it's more intense than it was then. Rayne's soul-searching during that first year really did change her.' Kim came to a decision then. Shego - Rayne - was back in her life and bluntly stated she had no intention of leaving this time. And it was obvious to the redhead that the plasma thrower loved Elizabeth Anne; both women kept slipping and referring to Kim's daughter as 'their' child. 'So let's see what she'll do if I make it official,' Kim thought. 'Well, sort of official.' She got out of bed and made her way to the living room, wearing her usual bed outfit of panties and camisole.

"Hey, Rayne?" she said as she caught sight of the woman on the couch, Elizabeth happily suckling at a warm bottle. 'Plasma powers rock,' the redhead thought.

"You okay, Princess?" the other woman asked, a look of concern on her face. Kim smiled at how loved she felt because of that concern.

"Yeah," she answered. "I was just doing some thinking."

"About what?"

"Us."

"Us?" Rayne asked, hope and anxiety in her voice.

"Yeah. I'm tired of it just being me and Elizabeth. Steph helps a lot, of course, but it isn't the same. She's got her own life, and it's time I started living, too."

"What . . . what are you saying, Kimmie?"

"I'm saying that, if it's okay with you, I'd like Elizabeth and I to . . . to move in with you."

"Nothing would make me happier, Kim," Rayne said as her eyes watered up, "but I don't think there are any colleges for you close enough to the Bahamas." At the redhead's crestfallen expression, the pale woman went on. "So let's find you a college that offers what you want, and I'll get us a place there. Or maybe see if my mom has a vacation home in the area."

"You have a mom?" Kim blurted out, then covered her mouth as she did a full-body blush in embarrassment. Rayne was impressed.

"So that blush CAN go everywhere," she murmured loud enough to be heard and making the younger woman's blush deepen more. "Don't worry, Cupcake. I'm not angry or offended by that. Yeah, I have a mom; got a dad, too. So I can assure you I didn't spring from the ground or anything."

"You never said anything before," the redhead said, coming around and accepting her still-hungry daughter as she sat down. As Elizabeth latched on to a breast, Kim went on. "I know I didn't ask about your past or anything, but I didn't think you'd tell me anything."

"I wouldn't have back then," Rayne admitted, thinking how beautiful and natural breastfeeding looked. "And while I'd be willing to talk about things now, would you mind if we waited until after we get you and our little princess settled wherever we'll be living?"

"Sounds fair to me," Kim agreed with a smile.

/Ron & Yori/

Considering how big Seattle was, Ron didn't think their chances of finding Kim soon were good. The game plan they'd worked out had the not-so-chubby genius using traffic cams, satellite feeds, and facial recognition software (as well as other kinds of recognition scanning programs) to locate Kim, or at least narrow down her location. But he'd been doing that for a full year and hadn't had any luck; however, the postcard Kim's mom had had at least gave them a ballpark to search in that hopefully wasn't a cold trail.

"I still don't understand why KP left," Ron said as he and Yori walked through a park in downtown Seattle. "It doesn't make any sense. Sure, she had a couple of bad relationships, and was still in the dumps about Shego leaving, but I didn't think it was that bad."

"Perhaps it was to her, Ron-kun," the ninja replied, hooking an arm through one of his so they'd look like the couple they were. "Shego-san's disappearance may have been truly harmful to Kim-san's emotional health if she had loved her. There may have been other things to affect her, too. As we are not her, we cannot know until we find her."

"Why is Shego looking for her?" he wondered, his mind moving to a different train of thought. "She abandoned KP, and was never seen for two years. Then she pops up in Middleton, visits Missus Doctor P, and then obviously comes here looking for Kim."

"These are questions we know, Ron," Yori said, using only his name to make sure she would have his attention. "It may have been that Shego needed to find herself before she could give her heart to Kim. It might have instead been that she needed to straighten her life up and make peace with whom she needed to before moving forward. These are things we do not know, and cannot know until we find them."

Ron caught a flash of red hair out of the corner of his eye before he could respond to that, and snapped his head around. He nearly called out due to force of habit, but his eyes caught his mouth before a sound could escape. The young woman he'd seen did indeed have red hair the same shade as Kim's, but it was much, much shorter than Kim's was; more of a punk-style pixie cut now that he had time to look. There WAS something really familiar about the woman, something that nagged at the back of his mind, but he couldn't place it.

"Do you think Kim could've changed her appearance?" he asked as they walked on and kept looking.

"If she had wanted to remain unfound, it is certain that she would have done something to allow her to remain hidden," the kunoichi conceded. "Do you think that the woman you observed was Kim-san?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "She did seem familiar, but I couldn't figure out why."

/KiGo/

"You okay, Pumpkin?" Kim heard Rayne say. Turning back, she saw the raven-haired woman holding a pair of ice cream cones. Taking the one meant for her, the redhead nodded.

"I'm fine," she replied. "It's just that, well, for a couple of moments while you were gone I felt as though someone was watching me. But when I looked I didn't see anyone. Well, anyone who seemed like they were looking."

"Could it have been one of your old foes?" the older woman asked, looking around to see if she could spot anyone even vaguely suspicious.

"No, no, I don't think so," the younger woman answered, her forehead creasing in thought. "I didn't get a feeling of malevolence, or negativity. It felt more like . . . familiarity. Concern."

"Could be one of your friends, then," Rayne commented. "They've all been looking for you longer than I have."

"How DID you find me, by the way?" Kim asked, licking at her scoops in a way that made the pale-skinned woman swallow hard. "I'm sure my mom showed you that postcard, so you would've known I'd be in Seattle. But how did you figure out which part of the city I lived in, and all of the rest?"

"I . . . well, I thought about what I'd do if I wanted to disappear, but didn't have a lot of money to use," was the sheepish reply. "I didn't know about our little princess, of course, but I guessed that you wouldn't want to call in any favors or do anything else that might leave a trail. On the day - or night, rather - that we met again, I'd spent most of the day walking around the low-rent district, casing the hotels and apartments, looking at listings, seeing if anyone new had moved into the area within the last year."

"I didn't even think about anything like that," the redhead said, continuing to eat her frozen dairy treat.

"Don't forget, you really weren't in a good state of mind back then," her girlfriend pointed out. Then a smile cleared the serious expression off of her face. "Let's talk about something better. Like our future."

"I love it when you use pronouns like that," Kim purred, making the green-tinted woman blush. "And, um, I . . . I love you, Rayne."

"I love you, too, Kim," Rayne replied softly, but loud enough to be heard. The two hugged, careful about their ice cream, and kissed. It was fairly chaste, but still expressed their love and passion. Pulling apart, they shared a smile.

"So, what about our future?" the redhead asked.

"Well, do you want to keep living here?" she responded. "You did come here to start a new life, after all. Granted, you already had one started before moving. Ow!" The exclamation of pain came from the fact that Kim had punched her in the arm.

"Smart ass," the younger woman said with a smile. "I don't know. About staying here, that is. Didn't really have a life here; I was only existing at best. I . . . I'd like to see my parents again. Maybe . . . let them finally meet the granddaughter they still don't know about."

"Why don't we move to Go City?" the older woman suggested. "My brothers live exclusively in their Tower, so I imagine no one's in the mansion." At Kim's incredulous look she added, "Both my parents are loaded, Princess. The Go City mansion belongs mainly to my mom, but she only uses it when she's passing through. And Go University has a wide selection of programs so there'd be plenty for you to choose from."

"Could you stand being that close to your brothers, though?" Kim asked.

"We've come to a better understanding than we had before," Rayne confessed. She finished her cone and took over pushing Elizabeth's stroller so Kim could concentrate better on her own. "During the year after I'd . . . left, I eventually ended up back in Go City. I met up with Wego, and allowed myself to get talked into visiting. Ended up having a 'sibling meeting,' and Hego and I worked out the issues we had - mainly the issues that HE had - and at least agreed that he'd made a lot of mistakes back when I'd left the team."

"So you two made up?"

"Hell no. But we're on cordial speaking terms now."

"Rayne, don't swear around our little princess," the redhead admonished.

"Sorry," she said. "And is that her nickname now? Little Princess?"

"Why not?"

/Ron & Yori/

"Ron-kun, we have already been through this area," Yori said as they once again passed through the park.

"I know, I know," Ron replied. "But I keep feeling pulled to this park."

"Perhaps the Mystical Monkey Power is attempting to guide you to Kim-san," she suggested. To her, it was the logical explanation for them going through this park again. Ron's instincts, and guidance from the MMP, said that Kim-san was in this part of the city.

"Maybe," he said doubtfully. He wasn't sure, since his control of the MMP (though much better than in the past) was still a bit iffy. He did spot the short-haired redhead he'd seen on their first pass through the park, only this time she was pushing a stroller with a baby in it. 'There's no way that could be Kim,' he thought. 'Kim's a lesbian, and couldn't have a kid.' He still couldn't explain why that woman seemed familiar, or why his instincts kept drawing her to his attention. "Maybe we should take a break for the rest of the day? Get some dinner, and try again tomorrow."

"Perhaps that is best, Ron-kun," she agreed, studying the same redhead her boyfriend was. The young woman's movement and the way she carried herself seemed exceptionality familiar to her, as did those of the woman walking up to her. She would meditate on things, after they'd had dinner and returned to their hotel.

/KiGo/

"There's something I don't understand," Rayne said as they left the park (leaving a different way than Ron and Yori were, thereby missing them).

"What's that?" Kim asked.

"Why didn't you report the rape?" the pale woman asked, her tone gentle and soft. The memory of that night flooded through her mind in an instant, but couldn't find a hold; Rayne's arm around her filled her with love, warmth, and acceptance.

"I don't really know," she finally said after a few moments. "I . . . I guess because I was scared. I mean, I'm supposed to be THE Kim Possible. Globe-trotting, world-saving hero. I know several different martial arts, beaten down large-muscled henchmen, gone toe-to-toe with you . . . and I get raped by some skinny guy whose but RON could've kicked." She sighed. "I'm sure Josh would've been arrested and jailed and all, but I don't think I could've handled all of the publicity and attention - negative and positive - that would've come from that. And . . . it didn't really occur to me then."

"We can take care of that after we've settled down in Go City," the pale woman said.

"Rayne, we'll REPORT it," the redhead said, emphasizing that one word. "I don't want the woman I love going to jail for murder just after I've gotten her back."

"I'm not going to kill him," she replied. "Just . . . burn off a certain part of his anatomy and leave him with a few broken bones."

"Rayne!"

"Kidding, Pumpkin, kidding," Rayne said, laughing. Then she looked thoughtful. "Still . . ."

"Rayne!" Kim said, punching the taller woman's arm.

"Ow!" she responded, chuckling a little. "Relax, Cupcake. I won't touch him." As she rubbed her arm she thought, 'Physically, anyway. As soon as I can, though, I'll get my mom in his ass.' "So when do you want to move?"

"To Go City?" the redhead asked. "I don't know. Two weeks, I guess? I gotta put my notices in at my jobs, and handle things with my apartment."

"Sounds good," her girlfriend agreed. "That'll give me time to talk to my mom about the mansion, let my dad and brothers know, and get things set up for the two of you. I could even get the ball rolling for your enrollment at Go U."

"Totally spankin'!" Kim exclaimed, hugging the taller woman. As she stepped back, though, a concerned look came over her face. "What your mansion? Your business?"

"No big," Rayne told her, making her smile at the use of that expression. "Since I own the land and all, there's nothing to worry about. And my board of directors can manage things pretty well. Besides, I'm easily reachable if they have to get in touch with me."

"You're amazing," her redhead told her.

"Absolutely and completely," the pale woman agreed, earning herself another punch on the arm.

{E/N: And another successful chapter. Next time we'll see Kim and Shego finally run into Ron and Yori, while the night before something amazing will happen.}


	9. Chapter 9

{A/N: I know the last chapter didn't really have any family activities to fit the title, but I thought it turned out well anyway.}

*9.) Reunion*

Kim actually had work that afternoon, and was grateful that Rayne was more than willing to watch Elizabeth for her. Not even a handful of days back together, and that only being official the last one or so, and it was almost like they'd never been apart. They headed back to the redhead's apartment, where the pale woman turned on the basic cable Kim had - there was actually a decent action movie playing right then - while the younger woman dressed in her Tai Chi Latte Café uniform. The young mother surprised her new-yet-old girlfriend by giving her a kiss in the cheek before she headed out the door. That left the older woman with a dazed but happy expression that lasted a good while.

Rayne was still awake when Kim came in from work; Stephanie had given her a ride both ways as they actually worked the same shift (an accident on their boss's part). The raven-haired woman looked up from the book she'd been reading when the door opened and watched as redhead came in, obviously worn out. She got off the couch and walked over to her, pulling the shorter woman into a gentle hug. Though surprised by the action, Kim happily returned the hug even as she reveled in the comfort she received from it.

"Hard day?" Rayne asked after they'd both pulled back a bit.

"A little, yeah," Kim replied, even her smile looking tired.

"Then get your shoes off and go sit on the couch," her girlfriend stated firmly. "I'm sure you ate something at work, but I'll put something light together for you. Nothing too much, but probably more than you had for 'supper.'"

"Thanks, Rayne," the redhead acquiesced without protest. She HAD been on her feet for six hours, not counting the half-hour lunch break she'd had. She slipped out of her shoes and practically dropped onto her couch; work had been more intense than usual this time - much more intense. She was startled when a sandwich on a plate appeared in front of her face.

"Mesquite turkey, lettuce, garlic mayo, salted tomatoes, and some sweet banana peppers," Rayne said after her girlfriend had taken the plate. She came around and sat next to the other woman, a similar sandwich on her own plate. "Filling yet light."

"Sounds great," the redhead commented. "And healthier than what I've been eating, though I try to eat as healthy as I could afford."

"No lecture from me, Princess," was the response. "But now you can eat as healthy as you want, which better damn well be exceptionally healthy."

"Deal," she agreed, laughing. Taking a bite from her sandwich, she moaned in delight as the flavors filled her mouth.

"So what happened at the café?" Rayne asked as she ate her own sandwich.

"It was just a lot busier than normal," Kim explained, "so I made quite a bit with tips. I also put in my notice; the owner said I could go after just a week if I needed to, though he wouldn't mind if I stayed the whole two weeks."

"Sounds like a good man," the pale woman said. "He wasn't mad or upset that you're quitting?"

"Not at all. I did tell him that I was moving in with an ex-girlfriend who I was dating again, and she had offered to help me out."

"Really? You said that?" Rayne was a bit incredulous of that.

"Well yeah," the redhead replied. "It's the truth. Of course, I also told him she was someone I trusted with my heart, and that she had convinced me to go to college. He's a very understanding and kind man."

"You are impossible," the pale woman said, shaking her head.

"No, I'm KIM Possible," she corrected, earning a bop to her head. "Oh, and Stephanie had a weird table."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"Hell if I know," her girlfriend said with a shrug. "She had to serve some guy who wanted to order Mexican or something."

"That isn't offered by your work," Rayne pointed out.

"His girlfriend has to be a saint or something for putting up with him," Kim said by way of agreement.

"You mean there's someone who willingly tolerates an idiot like that?"

"Apparently."

Rayne didn't leave after they'd eaten; she didn't really want to, and Kim had held her hand after the plates were tended to. There was a difference to the grip this time, though, as the redhead led the way to the bedroom. The plasma thrower could sense the difference, and felt her heart start racing. Like Kim, she hadn't really been celibate the last two years, but neither had she thrown herself out there. The older woman swallowed a bit hard, feeling nervous about what seemed to be going on. It was confirmed when Kim turned around and the hesitant but visible desire was seen in her eyes.

"Are you sure about this, Kimmie?" Rayne quietly asked.

"We'll have to keep it quiet since our Little Princess is just over there and the walls aren't much thicker than cardboard," Kim replied in a husky voice laced with lust and love; a shiver of desire shuddered its way down the taller woman's spine. She didn't reply with words; instead, she pulled the redhead against her and placed a passionate kiss on her cherry-flavored lips. Kim moaned at the intensity of the kiss, giving Rayne a chance to add her tongue to the kiss, which almost made her lover collapse. 'It's been too long,' was the thought that crossed both women's minds right then. They had both experienced passionate sex before, while they were apart, but nothing during their period of separation even came close to the nerve-tingling, breath-stealing, mind-exploding electricity crackling between the two of them.

They had to break apart in order to breathe, which gave Kim a chance to say, "God . . . I've missed . . . that . . . so much."

"Why did . . . I ever . . . leave you . . . Princess?" Rayne asked, panting with desire.

"Hell . . . if I . . . know," the redhead responded, before she moved in for another kiss. Rayne's hands reached around her hips to grab her ass, making her groan into the older woman's mouth. Her own hands slipped underneath the black tee the plasma thrower was wearing and went up the other woman's sides, her thumbs brushing against the bottom swell of the full breasts. Rayne groaned at the electric surge that shot from the point of contact down to her core, and moved her kissing from her redhead's mouth down to where her neck and shoulder met. It wasn't too long before clothes had been tossed all over the room and they were naked on Kim's bed.

Kim had a pillow pulled onto her face and was biting her lip in partially successful attempts to muffle the sounds of her passion. Rayne's own sounds were muffled because her head was between the redhead's thighs, where she was feasting on the younger woman's sex; one of her hands was busy with a breast, pinching and teasing a nipple, while the other was going in and out of the redhead and sending short low-power bursts of plasma out. And idea occurred to the green-tinted woman and, without stopping her actions below the waist, she swung herself around so she was straddling Kim's head (she incidentally knocked the pillow away in the process). Now the redhead had a way to muffle her noises that was mutually pleasurable for both women.

It was a struggle to keep things quiet enough to at least not awaken Elizabeth.

TLP

When Kim woke up that morning to get ready for work at SmartyMart, she found herself pleasantly exhausted. A look in the mirror showed a Cheshire cat grin on her face that wouldn't leave no matter what. Shrugging, she got ready for work and left, making sure to leave a note for her lover (which also asked the older woman to pick her up around one in the afternoon). When she got to the store, she let her boss know she was putting in her two weeks notice, and explained the situation to him in the same way she'd done with her other boss. He did express regret at her leaving, but was happy that she was moving forward with her life.

Her exceptionally good mood actually made the day go by fast, and before she knew it her shift was almost over. She wasn't paying much attention to the customers coming through her lane until she asked her last one if they'd found everything they needed.

"Kim?!" was the startled exclamation that drew her attention. Her gaze snapped up and over, and was followed by her jaw dropping open and her eyes going wide.

"Ron?" she whispered in shock. Then she caught of the person with the blond. "Yori?" Fortunately for her, Kim's hands had kept going on automatic so she was able to finish ringing up the groceries and total them while her brain was in shock. She snapped out of it before the other two could, and finished checking them out. Before Ron could say anything, she held up a hand and said, "My shift ends in a couple of minutes. I'll explain things-"

She didn't get to finish as right then Rayne came into SmartyMart and called out, "Hey, Princess. Stephanie got called in so I brought the Little Princess with me." Her words drew everyone's attention to her at the same instant she caught sight of who was with Kim.

"Stoppable?!" she said in disbelief.

"Shego?!" he said at the exact same instant. Then he saw the baby in her arms. A baby that looked very, very much like Kim.

Kim had gone to change into the clothes Rayne had brought for her, while said woman was standing outside SmartyMart, holding Kim's daughter in her arms - and waiting with her were Ron and Yori. Yori was alternating between wondering how the redhead had a child and how adorable the child was, while Ron was glaring at the pale woman. He'd have tried to go after her, since he blamed her for Kim's depression (and indirectly her disappearance), but hadn't because Yori wouldn't let him, Shego was holding Kim's daughter, and he also didn't know how Kim would react to that. So he had to settle for glaring at the pale-skinned plasma thrower. Rayne, for her part, didn't really care what the blond thought of her; only what Kim thought really mattered to her, and she already knew what her Princess thought of her.

Kim walked out the door just then, and immediately picked up on tension between everyone. Ron's expression said it all, so she decided to nip that in the bud right away.

"If you try to hurt my girlfriend, Ron, especially when she's holding my daughter, I'll kick your ass before Yori could blink once," the redhead growled in a low yet danger-laced tone.

"But Kim-" he tried to protest, but she cut him off.

"That's your only warning, Stoppable," she added, the use of his last name - in the same manner as Shego - got his attention. He looked over at her, his expression a mixture of shock, hurt, confusion, and anger.

"Perhaps we might get some tea," Yori suggested in an attempt to defuse the tension, "and then let Kim-san explain what has happened."

"Good idea," Rayne agreed, causing Ron to glare at her - until Kim's palm was introduced to his face. His head snapped to the side from the blow, before slowly coming back to bring his shocked gaze to Kim.

"Stop glaring at Rayne, or get out of here, Ron," she said. "Now. We're going to get some tea, we're going to sit down while having it, and YOU will keep your mouth shut and your glares to yourself while I explain everything that led up to my disappearance."

TLP

Naturally, they went to the Tai Chi Latte Café for their tea. Kim and Rayne ordered some Thai food with their tea; the pale woman refused to pay for the tea (or food) for the other two, and Kim didn't try to make her. Once everyone had gotten everything, Kim gave a condensed explanation of the events leading up to her disappearing - from Shego's own mysterious disappearance two years ago up to the last few days. It took over two hours for even Kim's abridged explanation, so there were a few refills of tea, along with dinner.

Ron and Yori were stunned speechless by the account, and couldn't speak once the redhead was finished. It was really hard for Ron to accept, that his best friend since Pre-K had kept all of that from him. Especially getting raped and not telling the police. Kim had made sure to thoroughly explain her reasoning on that, even though she did agree - in hindsight - that she should've just reported Mankey and the rape anyway. Sure, there would've been negative backlash, but there also would've been positive support.

"Don't give her a hard time," Rayne said into the silence. "She wasn't in a good state of mind back then, and understandably panicked. She's had a lot of time to think on things, so getting on her case won't help."

"Why did you go after her, Shego-san?" Yori asked, knowing her boyfriend was still processing everything.

"Rayne, please," the pale woman insisted. "I went looking for her because, once I'd found myself and got a legal life set up, I realized just how badly I'd wronged her. I hadn't really realized just what disappearing on her had done to her, because back then I couldn't wrap my mind around the fact of loving another woman, or her loving me." She shook her head a bit, then handed Elizabeth to Kim when the four month old began fussing.

"Dinner time for the Little Princess, Princess," Rayne commented.

"Ha ha, Rayne," Kim replied dryly as she stood up and carried her daughter to the ladies' room.

"Where's she going?" Ron asked, snapping out of his mental meanderings.

"Elizabeth is hungry, Stoppable," the pale woman said, rolling her eyes.

"So?" he countered, his confusion evident. Smiling slightly at her boyfriend, Yori leaned over and whispered into his ear. Rayne smirked as the blond's face reddened at what he'd been told.

"So what now?" she asked the other two. "You found Kimmie, you found me. What's the next step?"

"Pounding Mankey's ass until it's under the grass," Ron growled, earning a raised eyebrow of respect from the plasma thrower; that was something she hadn't expected from the sidekick.

"As much as we might desire to do so," Yori put in, "doing so is the wrong course of action, no matter if it is justified."

"I have to agree with the ninja chick on this," Rayne reluctantly admitted. "As much as I want to burn his dick off as slowly and as painfully as possible, I've given up villainy. And Pumpkin would have my ass for it."

"So we do nothing?" Ron asked, shocked.

"Hell no," the pale woman said. "We pursue the legal courses of action. And get my mom involved."

"You have a mom?" the blond asked incredulously. Yori sighed, and Rayne face palmed.

"Yes, Buffoon, I have a mom," she replied. "And a dad, too. And if you thought I was bad news when I was evil . . . Well, let me just say that's how my mom is on a GOOD day." The other two shuddered at the mental image that produced.

"I think our next step should be to go back to Middleton and tell Kim's mom that we found her," Ron said. "And that's all we'll say, other than that she's fine and will be by in a couple of weeks."

"I'll get Kimmie to call her between now and then," the pale woman promised. "I've got a way to make untraceable calls that not even Nerdlinger can track. And I'll call my mom to get the ball rolling on that bastard's just desserts."

"What's this about desserts?" Kim asked as she returned.

"We were just about to order some, Kim-san," Yori answered, smiling.

"Spankin'!"

{E/N: And another good chapter, if I do say so myself. Next we'll have some more KiGo moments, Shego will talk to her mom as well as make a visit to Go Tower.}


	10. Chapter 10

{A/N: Now things will pick up. Let's get on with the adventure.}

*10.) Crazy Days*

The week following the reunion with Ron seemed to go by both too fast and too slow for Kim. He still wanted to let Kim's family know she was alive and well, as well as telling them about her daughter, but the intense glares from the three women made him decide that discretion was indeed the better part of valor. What made time seem to go by so fast was that Rayne was leaving at the end of the week to go to Go City to get the mansion taken care of. What made it go by so agonizingly slow was Ron's visits to the places she worked at, as well as him appearing at her apartment at random times after he'd learned her address. He always seemed to somehow know when she would be there, but fortunately for him Rayne was usually there with her (it was unfortunate for her, since it meant she'd have a credible witness against her for murder). The boy (he was a 'man' only by his age and his bar mitzvah) seemed determined to believe that the pale woman would leave Kim again, and she shouldn't even be within eyesight of the redhead since she was the reason the former world saver had fallen apart. It was at the end the end of the second day that she was fed up with his harassment; before she could be stopped, she'd literally thrown him out of her apartment and locked the door. Rayne had taken Elizabeth to Kim's bedroom for a nap - and to have a plausible reason for not witnessing a violent death. After Ron had been kicked out, she came back out and offered to put Kim up in her hotel room; she was paying for a penthouse suite in an exclusive hotel that had an attractive policy of respecting a guest's privacy. Kim quickly and happily accepted the offer, and they got everything moved over that evening. Rayne took care of the apartment stuff via phone the next day after Kim had gone to work her shift at the café.

"Yes, that's right," she said into her cell, thankful she used a Bluetooth earpiece; Elizabeth Anne was hungry so Rayne had her arms full. "She's closing out her lease today." A pause as she listened to the complex's owner. "I'm aware it was a two-year lease and that she has at least a year left on." Another pause that caused her forehead to crease in irritation. "Listen, asshole. I'M covering the penalties and shit. All YOU need to do is refund her security deposit and last month's rent." This pause gave her a chance to put the bottle down and begin burping the little redhead. "I am the daughter of Isabel Gooding, THAT'S who the hell I am." Pause. "Yes, THAT Isabel Gooding." Another pause. "Oh? You'll have everything taken care of by this afternoon? Good. Now fuck off." She ended the call right as Elizabeth burped. "Good job, Little Princess," she cooed, a tone no one besides Kim would believe she was capable of. "Don't tell your mommy about those bad words I used, okay? And don't repeat once you learn to talk; she'll know you got them from me, and I want to live long enough to kick MY mom's ass before I die."

TLP

Kim sighed as she approached the table and saw Ron and Yori there. She didn't mind the ninja, and actually respected her more for being able to handle the blond; but now the redhead found herself mentally referring to him by the one name both Drakken and Rayne (during her Shego days) used: Buffoon.

"Thanks for coming to the Tai Chi Latte Café," she said, her smile and cheerful tone forced. "What can I get you today?" Before Ron could say anything, Stephanie came over.

"I've got this one, Kane," she said. "It's time for your first break, anyway." With an audible sigh of relief, Kim slipped her notepad and pen into her apron's pockets and left.

"I'm Stephanie and I'll be your waitress now," she told them. "What can I get you?"

"Is there any way I can talk to Ki- . . . uh, Kane?" Ron asked before Yori could stop him.

"Nope," Stephanie told him. "She's taken, she's as straight as a rainbow is dull, and if I had a hottie like your girlfriend there there's no way in hell I'd be looking at another woman."

"That's not what I meant," he tried to protest.

"The past two days - three now - you've come in here and bothered her," the blonde woman interrupted. "I know who you are, Ronald, and I know who she really is. I've also met her girlfriend and hung out with them both. So leave them, and especially Kane, alone. Or I'll have you banned from here for harassment of the staff." Now she smiled sweetly. "So, are you two ready to order?"

TLP

Two days later saw Kim doing one of the most difficult things she'd done recently: call her mom. For a while she simply stared at the phone in her hand; pushing the buttons that for the Possible's residence was far harder than she had realized.

"It's not going to dial itself, you know," Rayne commented, startling the redhead.

"What am I going to say to her?" Kim whispered, tears gathering in her eyes. "It's been about a year since I've seen her, talked to her. I didn't say anything at all about the rape, or about being pregnant. I haven't even kept in touch after sending that postcard."

"I won't lie to you, Princess," the pale woman replied. "She'll be upset and hurt that you didn't say anything, and probably angry, too, for the same reasons. You did choose to run away and hide rather than face things. She's your mom, so she'll love you no matter what. Just remember one thing."

"What?"

"You're Kim Possible. You are confidence personified. Tear that bandaid straight off and face the music."

"You just badly butchered two different metaphors," Kim told her, wincing.

"So sue me."

"Like you'd notice if I did."

"Just call your mom, Kimmie," Rayne said. Taking a deep breath and nodding, the former hero dialed her mom's number. It was answered after the second ring.

"Hello?" she heard her say. Kim's mouth opened but nothing came out. "Is anyone there? I don't appreciate prank calls."

"H-Hey, Mom," Kim stammered out. For a while, there was only dead air on the other end.

"K-Ki-Kimmie?" Anne stuttered in a whisper. To Kim, it sounded as though the older woman couldn't believe what was happening; the young woman could understand that completely.

"It's me, mom," she replied. "It really is me."

"Oh, my God," the older redhead said, crying. Kim spent the next few minutes calming her mom down and reassuring her that things were real. Rayne was staying out of Kim's sight, so her girlfriend wouldn't see her crying her own tears.

"Are . . . are you coming home?" Anne asked her daughter.

"Not to stay, no," Kim answered. "I'll be stopping by on my way to Go City, in about a week and a halfa. I have to finish up my last two weeks at my jobs."

"Where will you be going?" her mom questioned. "For that matter, why did you leave in the first place? How come you didn't stay in touch? Whatever the problem was, you know we would have been there for you."

"I wasn't in a good way back then," the younger redhead responded, relaxing muscles she didn't realize were tense when she felt her girlfriend's arms wrap around her. "And . . . there was a bit of s complication."

"What do you mean, Kim?"

"Remember that party in Go City I'd gone to, shortly before I disappeared?" Kim asked. When her mom replied in the affirmative, the younger redhead went on. She explained about how she was depressed and had been more than a little tipsy but not quite drunk, how she'd run into Josh Mankey - and how he'd raped her. Anne had been shocked beyond words about that, and would've admonished her daughter for not reporting it, but her intuition told her that Kim had already gone through that and didn't need it again right now; just admitting all of that was hard enough.

"That's not all, though, mom," Kim added.

"What else is there, dear?" Anne asked. Just then, audible over the phone, came the cry of a baby.

"How do you feel about being a grandmother?"

TLP

It was closer to end of the week when Rayne finally gathered up her own courage and called her own mother. It wasn't that she was afraid of the woman - not a chance of that ever happening - just that she didn't like talking to the harpy. She was thankful that her Kimmie was working at SmartyMart right now. As usual, the harpy answered on the fifth ring.

"Who the hell is this?" came the snapped response.

"Fuck, Mommy!" Rayne said in exasperation. "Do you have to answer the damn phone like that every time someone calls?"

"Firefly!" Isabel exclaimed, her voice disgustingly (to her daughter, anyway) chipper. "It's about time damn time! Where are you, Sweetie?"

"First off, you're so damn sweet right now it's giving me sugar shock," the green-tinted woman groaned. "Second, I'm in Seattle because I finally got my head out of my ass and found my girlfriend. And DON'T say 'I told you so,' Mommy."

"I did tell you so, Firefly," her mom replied, just as cheerful as she'd started. Rayne ground her teeth a bit. "I can hear that, so stop grinding your teeth; it's bad for them."

"Fuck you, Mommy. I didn't call to have you lecture me. I . . . I need a favor." That hesitation told Isabel volumes.

"What is it, Firefly?" she asked.

"I need the mansion in Go City," the younger Gooding woman said without preamble. "I'm coming home, and I'm bringing my Princesses with me?"

"Princesses?" her mom echoed on confusion.

"That leads to the actual favor I need," Rayne replied, then explained all about Kim's situation. By the time she was done, she could practically FEEL her mom breathing fire.

"Little Princess is such a wonderful child," Rayne said, a smile on her face and in her voice. "Kimmie . . . she says I can be in her life if I want."

"You don't worry about a thing," Isabel told her, "except taking care of your girls. I've got this Monkey-"

"Mankey."

"Fuck his name. I've got it taken care of it. I might not be able to leave Kane out of this," the elder Gooding female said. Rayne shuddered at the thought of her normally laidback and easy-going dad getting involved.

"Please leave Daddy out of this," she almost begged. "We don't need any unexplained disappearances on this, Mommy."

"I'm not making any promises. The mansion is yours; I'll let your brothers and father know - if I can find that damn pervert - but you should visit them. Bye, Firefly." There was dead air on the line.

"Fuck," Rayne said with a sigh. "Well, at least I got the house."

TLP

Rayne was going to leave in the morning, on a commercial flight to Middleton so she could get her private jet and fly herself to Go City. It would've been like the last time she'd left, only this time Kim knew that she was leaving; plus she would be coming back in a week to get the redhead and their Little Princess. They hadn't had sex as often as they'd wanted to, but neither really minded; the pale woman enjoyed helping Kim out with Elizabeth, and the redhead appreciated the extra sleep she was able to get from that. Kim couldn't believe how fast she'd switched from not wanting Rayne around to not being able to be without her. And that was just in the first few days. At first the redhead had thought it was simply a desire for closure, to actually end their relationship.

Instead it had been rekindled into a roaring blaze. The depression and malaise that Kim had been living with for just over two years vanished as if it had never been. That high self-confidence she had possessed, that belief in herself that she truly could do anything, was once again back. Sure, she still had issues about the rape - who wouldn't? - but she would move past it. Especially with Rayne's help; and her family's, once she'd reconnected with them.

Right now, Kim was breastfeeding her daughter while her lover was asleep in their bed. Thinking of the pale woman brought a smile to the redhead's face; she'd had to clean up before feeding her hungry child as the two women had just finished making love - after four hours. She was going to miss the older woman while she was gone, but that feeling was tempered by the knowledge that Rayne would return in a week's time. And as Elizabeth slowly went back to sleep, Kim wondered why she was feeling like there was a shoe waiting to drop.

TLP

Rayne hated dealing with her brothers. Specifically, she hated dealing with Hego. Mego could be tolerated, and she actually liked the Wegos; she just had issues with her older brother. He was still a self-righteous egotist who saw things in black and white for the most part. He'd gotten better (though not much) over the last couple of years; enough so that the two of them could be in the same room for extended periods. Things weren't always that way; up until Rayne went to middle school and started going by Shego more than her birth name, she and Hego had been almost inseparable. She'd been his sidekick for years, even after the comet had turned her into a freak. But his behavior had changed and he'd become an insufferable asshole, eventually driving her away from Team Go and into villainy.

He hadn't been happy about losing the use of the mansion - not that he'd ever lived there after Go Tower was built - and especially to her; but not even he was dumb enough to argue with their mother. He'd really tried her patience, but with Kimmie back in her life Rayne had actually managed to do the impossible and control her temper. He'd surprised her, though, with his reaction to the news about Kim; while he was still against homosexual relationships (believing them to be unnatural), he expressed his admiration for helping Kim with her daughter - his 'righteous fury' was inflamed when he learned that she'd become pregnant after being raped. That actually sent a warm feeling through her, something that hadn't happened since she'd been a kid.

Right now she was walking the streets of Go City a bit, window shopping for things her Princess might like. She wanted to get Kim a 'house-warming' gift, even though the redhead wouldn't be coming to the mansion for another six days. Rayne would've started setting up a fully tricked out room for Elizabeth, but after dealing with her brothers for a few hours she just wanted to relax for the rest of the day.

There was another reason for her window shopping; she couldn't shake the feeling she was being watched. It'd been like this ever since she'd set foot in Go City, and was making her very irritable. In fact, she was getting a distinctive sensation of agitation and exasperation that was intensely familiar to her, though she couldn't place the origin of that familiarity; the identity was there at the back of her mind. And speaking of the back of her mind, she reached for the back of her head as she felt a trio of sharply painful pinpricks there. Her questing fingers made contact with some darts right as a wave of dizzied numbness began spreading through her. This sensation was VERY familiar to her, but unconsciousness claimed her before she could think of the reason for that.

She also missed a very familiar and maniacal laugh.

{E/N: Kane and Isabel are used with permission of StarvingLunatic; though their last names are changed to fit The Little Princess, the characters are still based on the two used by SL in her In the Middle series (check it out; it's an amazing story). Next we learn who's kidnapped Shego, and what Kim's gonna do when she learns what's happened.}


	11. Chapter 11

{A/N: The return of Kim Possible is at hand. The journey is almost over, and I hope everyone's enjoying the ride so far.}

*11.) Back in Action

The cellphone Rayne had given her about a week ago - the same one she'd used to call her mom - went off right as Kim walked into the hotel room, balancing Elizabeth and some groceries. While she still couldn't cook too well, she had managed to do basic dishes without blowing anything up. Setting the groceries down on the coffee table in the suite's living room, the redhead fished the item out of her pocket and said, "I just got in the room, Rayne, so-"

"Miss Possible?" came a confused male voice. "How do you know Shego's real name, and why do you have her phone?"

"Hego?" she questioned, just as confused. "Rayne gave me this phone a few days ago, so I could . . . get back in touch with my family."

"Is everything all right, Miss Possible?" the officious hero asked in a tone that was only slightly pompous. "And are you all right? I had you'd been missing for a while."

"Don't worry about, Hego," Kim replied, in a tone of voice that said 'drop it;' a tone the hero was familiar with after dealing with his sister for over a decade. "Care to tell me why you called?"

"Well, I was trying to reach my sister," he explained. "She had stopped by Go Tower about two days ago - two and a half now, actually - and informed myself and the rest of Team Go that our mother had given her the family mansion in Go City. Naturally, I tried to get her to be reasonable-"

"Wait a minute," the redhead interrupted. "What do you mean, 'two and a half days ago,' Hego? She was supposed to call me after she'd talked to you about that."

"I mean just that, Miss Possible," the big man replied, and Kim didn't have to see his face to know he was now wearing a look of apprehension because of her tone. "She came here a little over two days ago, told us about the mansion being hers now, and left. That's the last I saw her, I promise you." Kim didn't bother saying anything; she just ended the call. A squirming against her reminded the redhead of her daughter, and she hugged the almost five-month-old infant to her. Before Rayne's return to her life, she probably would've broken down or panicked or something like that; now, however, the person she'd been before had come back again. The self-confidence she used to have, the belief that she could do anything she chose to do, had returned. Closing her eyes, Kim took a deep breath and let it out. Adjusting Elizabeth again, the young woman looked at her phone and dialed a number she'd never forgotten.

"Missus Load?" she said when she heard her call get answered. "It's Kim. I know it's been a while, and I would love to catch you up on things, but I would really appreciate it if you could get Wade to call me. Okay, Missus Load. Thanks." She hung up and waited. A few seconds later, she heard a very familiar *beep-beep-be-beep* sound. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, the redhead followed the sound to a brown bubble envelope (the kind that incorporates bubble wrap stuff within the envelope to protect the contents). Setting Elizabeth in the cradle-swing Rayne had bought last week, Kim picked up the package and opened it. Turning it over, she dumped a brand-new black and green kimmunicator into her hand. Her face lit up and she answered the device.

"What's the sitch, Wade?" she asked, even though she was the one that had, through his mom, contacted him.

"You don't know how glad I am to hear you say that again, Kim," the now 15yro genius said with a huge grin. "You can catch me up on the last year later; my mom said you sounded pretty anxious. How can I help?"

"I need you to find Rayne," she told him. "I mean, Shego. She went to Go City two and a half days ago, and hasn't been seen since then, according to Hego. She had promised to call me right after her visit and didn't."

"Since she has a higher than normal body temperature, I'll start by scanning Go City and the immediate area for her thermal signature. I'll also set a program to apply the same scans to satellite footage from the past two days."

"Please and thank you," she replied.

"Kim . . . it's been two years since you've been 'in the game.' And I'm sure you haven't practiced or trained any in the year you've been . . . missing," the teen said, his concern evident in his voice and on his face. "I can get Ron and Yori to . . . back you up."

"Wade, no matter who's got my girlfriend, they'll be using HenchCo henchmen," she reminded him. "On their best day and my worst, they couldn't match me." The dark-skinned boy chuckled.

"Glad your confidence is back, Kim," Wade said. "Okay, according to my scans, Shego - I mean Rayne - isn't anywhere in the Go City area. Still waiting for the back scanning to get done. I'll get a ride ready and on the way while it's finishing."

"You rock, Wade."

TLP

Rayne groaned as consciousness returned to her. She remembered the first (which was also the last) time she'd been hit with a cocktail like that; it hadn't been a pleasant experience for those who'd been around her when she'd woken up back then, and she was just as pissed about it now - if not more so - as she had been then. As her awareness expanded and her surroundings became clearer to her senses, she realized she was restrained rather well. In fact, it appeared her captor had upgraded the restraints as she was having some trouble flaring her plasma.

"Glad to see you're finally awake, Shego," came a nauseatingly familiar voice. The pale woman let out an extremely pained groan. 'Not him,' she thought. 'I would have it to be anyone but HIM.'

"I do apologize about the sedatives, Shego," she heard, as though he had thought her groan was from the sedatives wearing off. "But you know I'm too much of a genius to bother remembering things like the appropriate amount of chemicals to put into-"

"For the love of God! Would you shut the fuck up, Doctor D?!" Rayne snarled in frustrated irritation. "For such a 'genius,' you sure aren't smart enough to figure out when to close that damn fountain of torture you call a mouth!"

"We talked about this, Shego," the blue-skinned mad scientist, walking into her field of vision and wagging a finger at her. "Words hurt, you know."

"Find those mystery-solving punks and that smart dog they hang with and get a clue, Drakken," she snapped in reply.

"You shouldn't be so mean, Shego," he replied, actually looking hurt. "We're an evil family, after all."

"News flash, you walking blueberry," Rayne growled at him. "I haven't been evil in three years! Hell, I've gone straight - as far as crime goes - and have a fuckingly fantastic and successful business! I've gotten back with my girlfriend, and my life's going great!"

"Girlfriend?" Drakken echoed, confused. "But you're a girl, aren't you?"

"It's lesbianism you jackass. It means I'm a woman who dates, sleeps with, and prefers to be with only women when it comes to romance and sex."

"Shego!" he exclaimed, aghast. "You don't have to be so vulgar!"

"Go eat some Skittles and fart a rainbow, ya moron," she told him, rolling her eyes. He sputtered and fumed, obviously angry but unable to think of a comment of any kind, making the plasma thrower snicker.

"Well, then, Shego," he finally said, deciding to ignore her words and move on, "I'm sure you're wondering why I've got you here."

"Not really," she replied with a shrug.

"But . . . you must!" he said, insulted. "I have you restrained!"

"So did Kimmie, and that was a helluva night, I'll tell you," she replied with a wink. He darkened in embarrassment as his mind obviously jumped to the conclusion Rayne had wanted it to.

"I have you at my mercy!" he insisted.

"What'd be a mercy is you shutting up for once," she came back.

"Enough!" he shouted, stamping his foot. "I took the time and effort to get you back so you can have a chance to rejoin me. That way we can get back to doing what were meant to do: making the world bow down to me!"

"By coming up with cockamamie ideas for useless inventions that either backfire on their own or are set up so that any idiotic buffoon can stop them," she added as a way to finish his rant. He screamed in frustration, and kicked at a metal table leg, then cried out in pain and began hopping around on one foot, cursing the table in that extremely PG way of his. Snickering at his antics, even though she was glad she had stayed legit after the pardon, Rayne found herself more than a little apprehensive about the fruit loop she once worked for had planned. He did eventually stopped hopping around and glared at her.

"You should show me more respect, Shego," he snarled. But then his expression changed, going from angry and pained (she thought he looked like he was constipated) to darkly gleeful. "And you will. You see, ever since we helped save the world-" he shuddered at that "-I did try to be 'good,' since I'd obviously proven myself to be a superior scientist by defeating those giant green aliens with my 'mad skills.' But no matter what, no one would acknowledge my greatness! Not even those hacks I went to college with, including the father of my nemesis, Kim Possible! So when I'd learned that that accursed teenager had quit being a hero, I decided it was the perfect time to once again take my revenge."

Rayne yawned a bit as he continued ranting about how he'd been slighted, what he was going to do once he ruled the world, and so on. She tuned back in when she felt he was finally getting to part that concerned her.

" . . . which brings me to you, Shego," Drakken said, not realizing he'd been ignored for the past five minutes. "I needed you for my plans to work, and tried to find you. I'd thought you'd gone to work for that hack Dementor, or had joined that idiot Gemini, but all of our villainous colleagues said you had given up villainy! Can you believe that?"

"Gee, Doctor D, no I can't," she answered with exaggerated disbelief and insincerely huge eyes. "Who would want to give up a life of hiding in lairs and making failed inventions for a life within the law and making life at a job you enjoy?"

"Exactly!" he agreed, completely missing her sarcasm. "So I decided to make plans just in case they were right. I needed a way to make sure you would always be on my side, loyal only to me. I knew my mind control chips wouldn't work, since apparently ANYONE can make a silicone phase disruptor, and the moodulators were obviously faulty tech. Then I remembered the Attitudinator! If I could combine that technology with my mind control chips and the right program, I could rewrite your neural synaptic pathways and make you evil forever since the process would be permanently irreversible! Muahahahahaha!" As he continued to laugh manically, Rayne felt a cold shiver of dread run up and down her spine in titanium-spiked cleats.

TLP

Kim opened the door to the penthouse suite when she'd heard the knock. Stephanie stood there, stunned halfway through the motion of knocking again. It was obvious Kim's appearance more than surprised her; the redhead's hair was still short, but it was her style of dress that was eye-catching. Kim had, using Rayne's money, bought and had delivered a whole new outfit: a black three-quarter sleeve crop top with thick dark green panels on the sides, a pair of dark green cargo pants with black pockets, a pair of dark green gloves with black palms, and a new pair of black short boots.

"Hot damn, Kim!" she exclaimed after a minute of opening and closing her mouth with nothing coming out. "You look . . . wow!"

"Thanks," the redhead replied shyly. "It's . . . well, it's kind of the same style as my original mission outfit. Just . . . just in my new colors."

"Like your girlfriend's colors, too," the blonde commented with a wink, making the younger woman blush. "Actually, I'm glad you called me; I needed some time away from home."

"Why?" Kim asked. "Is everything alright, Steph?"

"Not really," the other woman admitted. "I dumped my boyfriend, Derrick."

"I'm sorry, Stephanie," the redhead replied, pulling her friend into a hug.

"It's okay, Kim, really," Steph said, returning the hug. "He was a nice guy and all, but . . . he just didn't get me. Especially the whole 'bisexual thing' as he calls it." She pulled back a bit and smiled at the redhead. "So, what do you need?"

"Can you watch Elizabeth?" Kim asked. "I've got an emergency to take care of." Just then, her kimmunicator went off.

"What's the sitch?" she asked, answering it.

"I've gotten Rayne's exact location," Wade said without preamble. "She's at one of Drakken's old Middleton lairs. One of the ones GJ wasn't told about. I've sent the location to your kimmunicator, and your ride's five minutes out."

"Thanks, Wade," she replied. "You rock completely." She ended the call and looked back at her friend. "Rayne went to Go City to make sure her brothers knew about her having the mansion, and to get it set up for me and Elizabeth. But it turns out that her former boss, Doctor Drakken, kidnapped her after she'd left Go Tower, and has had her for the last two days."

"Well shit," Stephanie said. "Your life certainly isn't boring."

Kim laughed and said, "Can't argue with that."

"So you need a babysitter?"

"Yeah," Kim confirmed. She walked into the bedroom and got her daughter - who'd woken up - out of the crib and went back to Stephanie. "I need you to watch my daughter," the redhead said, "so I can kick Drakken's ass and rescue my girl's minty green one."

{E/N: And there we have it! Kim Possible is so back! Next time, Kim makes a big entrance into Drakken's lair.}


	12. Chapter 12

{A/N: I'm pretty sure a lot of y'all have been expecting this chapter since the beginning. Well, here it is. And I will unleash the ultimate evil in this chapter.}

*12.) Kim Possible!*

'When will he shut up?!' Rayne wondered in frustrated irritation. She'd been conscious for four hours now, and not once had that big blue idiot stopped talking. On one hand, she was thankful for that as it kept him distracted enough to forget (temporarily) his plan of permanently controlling her. On the other hand, it meant her patience was pretty much gone and she was going from having a massive headache to having an increasingly unbearable migraine. At least when she used to work for him she could file her gloves or read a magazine to distract herself from his rants. She did find herself hoping that Kim would somehow learn what had happened, and be on her way. Though the plasma thrower loved the redhead more than she'd thought would be possible - especially since they'd only been back together, as it were, for three weeks - it still rankled her pride that she needed to be rescued, and from DRAKKEN of all people.

". . . . and of course everyone will have to finally acknowledge the superiority of my genius," Drakken was saying, unaware that his 'captive' audience wasn't really paying attention to his (in his opinion) well thought out and brilliant speech on how he would be able to conquer and rule the world after he'd gotten her back into their evil family. "So you see, Shego," he said, still wrapped up in his own words, "it only makes sense for you to come back to me. After all, I'm a brilliant genius, I have mad skills, and I know that you dig me."

"What the fucking hell are you on?" Rayne blurted out incredulously, unable to believe what she'd just heard.

"Don't think it escaped my impressive deduction ability," the blue evil scientist replied smugly. "I know that there was only one reason you worked for me for so long, tolerated our repeated defeats, and always went with me to karaoke night: you have feelings for me." The pale woman couldn't help herself; she burst out into the biggest, longest, and hardest laugh she'd ever experienced in her life. Drakken actually looked affronted and hurt by her reaction, which made her laugh all the more. It seemed like forever before her laughs tapered off, though in reality it was only thirty minutes (every time she'd get to calming down, the sight of the blue-skinned man's face brought to mind his words, which got her laughing again).

"I don't see how that was called for, Shego," Drakken said, the hurt in his voice threatening to send her into a giggle fit.

"I don't see how you got the idea that I even remotely LIKED you, much less could possibly LOVE you," Rayne replied, her mirth evident in her voice and on her face.

"Because you've been with me for so long," he explained, confused. "Of course, that doesn't really count the last . . . uh, few . . . years since we had saved the world instead of conquering it. I can forgive that, obviously, since I'm sure you needed a vacation or something." Then he frowned. "Though I don't understand why you would help Kim Possible during a year-long vacation and then disappear instead of coming back to me."

"First off, DREW, when we got pardoned I was asked to help Kimmie," she told him, her irritation beginning to return. "Second of all, I decided that I was done with the whole villain and sidekick thing and RETIRED. Thirdly, I have TWO reasons to stay legit and I have no intention of giving those up. And LAST of all, there is abso-fucking-lutely NO way in ANY reality I would EVER hook up with you if I have someone BETTER! Fuck, I'd rather date MOTOR ED than you!" Drakken's mouth dropped open in shocked and stunned disbelief; he simply could not believe her vehement and profane denial of what he had thought was the truth. It didn't add up in his mind; after all, why else would Shego have stayed with him for so long and through so much if she didn't love him? Seeing the confusion on the idiot genius's face, Rayne decided to spell it out even more for him since she knew - from direct experience - that he wouldn't understand actual facts that went contrary to his view of things.

"Listen, you blueberry crudcake," she said scornfully, "I only stayed with you because we had a contract and you paid me damn well. Nothing else. And my girlfriend isn't going to be happy about this."

"Girlfriend?" the blue-skinned man echoed in confusion. "Are you . . . a guy, then?"

"Hell no, you fucktard!" she snapped. "It's called homosexuality, you braindead jackass. I'm a lesbian, I like women sexually and romantically."

"That doesn't make any sense," Drakken replied, his brow furrowed in thought and confusion. "Only guys can like girls."

'Oh, God,' Rayne moaned in her head, letting it fall back onto the table/whatever she was strapped to. It was like dealing with Hego all over again. 'Although,' she thought, 'I think Hego's actually a bit smarter than this.' As Drakken ranted on and on about what was right (according to his mind), the plasma thrower was hoping she'd bought herself enough time for Kim to get there. Damn, she hated feeling and being helpless. If Kim left anything of Drakken when she arrived, Rayne was definitely gonna tear the blue man's ass apart.

TLP

"For the last time, Stoppable," Kim snapped into her kimmunicator, "I don't want your help. I don't need your help."

"But Kim-" the blond tried to say, only to be interrupted by the redhead.

"If you have an issue with Rayne, then you have an issue with me. You may have stepped your game to handle the supervillains and all while I was gone, but that doesn't mean I can't handle myself. And another thing," she added as she saw her former best friend open his mouth to speak, "shut up about Rayne, okay? Ever since you found me, you've been trying to get ME to leave her. Elizabeth likes her, liked her from the beginning, and I'll trust my daughter's judgement before I'll trust your self-righteous, I-know-better beliefs." She shook her head, sensing and feeling the experimental military transport Wade had hooked her up with bank onto a new course. "Just because we were best friends once, and know now what happened to me, doesn't mean you know me anymore."

"But, Kim," Ron began again, "it's been two years since you've been in action, and you've admitted you haven't practiced at all during that time."

"Drakken and his HenchCo henchmen couldn't beat me on their best day and on my worst," she pointed out.

"What's happened to you, Kim?" he asked.

"Beyond the fact that I was raped fourteen months ago?" she replied sarcastically, making the blond on the screen flush in shame. "I grew up, Ron. Sure, I took a bit of a roundabout path to do that, but it happened. You may have stepped up your game and become a hero in your own right, but you still have to grow up some more. I know what Rayne did to me back then, and I know what happened to me to because of that. It did happen to ME, after all. But I know she did what she did, and how she's changed. You want to talk about us having been best friends and all of that? Then actually trust that I know better than you about the things that are going on with me. What happened in the past is in the past. If you can't understand that, and move past it all, then it looks your Team Stoppable thing will be permanent." With that, Kim ended the call. Sighing, she shook her head. Ron certainly hadn't changed since she'd last seen him; or, perhaps he did but not for the better. He claimed to still be her best friend, and also said that he trusted her, but she hadn't seen anything since his reentry into her life that backed up those claims.

'We've moved too far apart,' she thought sadly. 'And not just physically. I think he still doesn't really accept my homosexuality.' She didn't want to go down that path anymore, and so moved on to other considerations. Like the fact that there hadn't been time for her to really get any of her gear - beyond the new kimmunicator she'd just finished using again. Still, it was one of Drakken's lairs, which basically begged to be infiltrated. Of course, this would be her 'coming out' mission announcing her return to hero work so she wanted to make a big splash. As she gazed around the troop compartment of the jet, her eyes fell upon a military-grade magnetic grapple and the type of armored box usually used to hold high-grade explosives. A feral, Shego-like smile grew upon her face.

TLP

"So what do you think's gonna happen to Shego?" a henchman whose real name was Fred asked his partner, whose real name was George. The two of them, dressed in the standard HenchCo red suits, were on guard duty outside of Dr Drakken's current lair. They had both agreed it would've made more sense to not have anyone outside, since the lair would definitely have stayed hidden, but the boss said to guard the door and they WERE being paid for it.

"Who cares?" George replied, looking around. He was getting a bad feeling, a really bad one, and it was making him very antsy. He was beginning to think he should've taken that retirement deal Jack Hench had offered in exchange for working with that skirt-wearing golf nut. Before his buddy could respond to that, something dropped out of the sky and was shrouded almost immediately by the collapsing parachute. The two henchmen readied their Drakken-issue stun sticks; they had just activated them, as a matter of fact, when the parachute was tossed aside and its wearer stood up. The hair was much shorter, of course, and the colors were different, but there was no mistaking that outfit style or those intimidating olive green eyes. Both Fred and George felt their eyes widen massively underneath their masks as recognition set in.

"So you two have a choice," the black-and-green-clad redhead said, cracking her knuckles and neck. "Either step aside and let me through, or hope your union medical insurance covers full-body casts and thoroughly intensive physical therapy."

"What the hell," George said, shutting off his stun stick and dropping it. "I'm close to retirement, and a hospital visit will make me miss my daughter's middle school graduation."

"I didn't unionize," Fred admitted. Kim smiled as the two Henches stepped aside; her grin got a bit wider as one of them even keyed in the access code and opened the door for her. As she walked past them she said, "You two might want to find a new line of work; I'm not in a very forgiving mood these days."

Kim was now grinning up a storm; five minutes into her direct assault and she had already taken out more Henchmen than she had fingers. She had been out of shape, so to speak, for a little more than two years. Even so, and even taking into account the fact that Hench had upgraded the training for his henches, her assessment to Ron had been right: this was her worst day as far as her fighting skills went, but she was still kicking henchmen's asses on their best day. She ducked a fairly fast punch from one, flipped over a leg sweep from a second, and did an upside down split leg kick that knocked out all five of the ones immediately around her. A few others were trying to crawl away, a feat made difficult by the fact that they were suffering from a variety of broken limbs and lots of bruises. The redhead noticed a few more coming at her as she came out of her mid-air inverted kick and landed on her feet. She didn't stay there long, though, as she immediately launched herself at those in the direction she knew Drakken's command center would be. Some of the Henches were getting the hint that going up against her was a bad idea and tried running; unfortunately for some of them, they happened to try running in the direction she was going. Wade had her backup coming, it was about five minutes out, but she had no intention of delaying herself that long.

"DRAKKEN!" she yelled out, her loud and enraged scream echoing through the lair.

TLP

Drakken's head snapped around to the large doors that led into his lair's main room - where he'd been since returning with Shego. He'd thought he had heard someone scream his name. He would've thought it was Shego, as only she would've yelled his name like that, only there were two issues with that thought. The first was that it was only when he'd screwed up really bad in the past and pissed Shego off. The second issue was that Shego was strapped to the table in front of him.

"What was that?" he asked, still confused about the faint yell that had sounded almost like his name.

"Hell if I know," Rayne answered, attempting to shrug but not really able to manage it. But then a smirk graced her face. "But if I had to guess, Doc, I'd say Princess is here."

"Princess?" the not-really-genius genius echoed.

"Kimmie," she explained, rolling her eyes.

"Impossible," he scoffed. "She's dead."

"What gave you that idea, Einstein?" the pale woman wondered, sarcasm thick and heavy in her voice.

"No one's seen her in years, Shego," he explained, his tone indicating that SHE was the stupid one. "Since that is a fact, it is of course because she's dead."

"Oh, God," Rayne moaned, closing her eyes. "Why me?"

TLP

It had taken longer than she'd wanted, but now Kim found herself standing before a large pair of doors. She was angry at the delay in making it to this point, though that anger was directed as much at herself as it was at the henchmen; she was WAY out of shape. What really pissed her off was the fact that she had to go through all of this in the first place. She knew it would take a bit of time to get Wade to hack open the door, and she was in NO mood to wait any longer. Reaching into one of the pouches on her cargo pants, she pulled out a block of C4. She took the magnetic grappler off of her waist, then affixed the explosive putty-like material to the end of it. After making sure she was a good distance away, Kim took aim at the doors and fired the launcher.

TLP

Drakken wasn't prepared for the doors to his command room exploding. Especially when he was about to inject his obviously misguided and mentally unwell sidekick with his improved and unbeatable mind control system. The explosion, and the busted doors falling into the room, startled him enough that he dropped the syringe before injecting Shego. The syringe, of course, shattered upon hitting the floor. The blue-skinned mad scientist whirled around to see who had the nerve to interrupt one of his most glorious triumphs. What he saw shocked him beyond belief. A lithe, familiar redheaded figure strode out of the smoke; although perhaps 'stalked' would have better described her walk.

"Kim Possible?!" Drakken shouted in genuine shock and disbelief; of course, he'd done that every time she'd appeared in one of his lairs.

"Alright, you overgrown Smurfette reject," Kim growled dangerously, "give me back my girlfriend."

"This . . . this isn't possible!" he exclaimed, backpedaling up against a small table near where Shego was strapped down to.

"I'm a Possible, you brainless blueberry," she snapped, continuing to move towards him.

"You can't be dating my Shego!" he screeched; that actually made the redhead pause.

"Your Shego?" she echoed in confusion. Her gaze shifted slightly to Rayne. "Want to clue me in, dear?"

"He thinks I've been in love with him all of these years because I'd stuck with him for so long," the pale woman explained to her girlfriend. Kim couldn't help herself; she burst out laughing. A hard, gut-clenching fit of laughter overtook the returned hero, who fell to her knees with her arms wrapped around her stomach. Looking at Drakken's face didn't help her any, as the man looked genuinely offended and hurt by her response.

"Oh . . . God . . .," Kim said, trying to breathe. "I . . . came here . . . all pissed . . . off and ready . . . to tear your . . . head off, Drakken . . . and instead find . . . you doing standup . . . comedy!"

"But it's true!" the man insisted, sparking a new round of laughter from Kim.

"Didn't you tell him, Rayne?" she asked.

"I tried, Pumpkin," Rayne said at the same time Drakken asked who Rayne was, "but I figured getting him to rant on and on about his schemes would keep me from being mind controlled long enough for you to get here."

"Mind control?" Kim asked, all mirth gone from her. Drakken had the decency and intelligence to look terrified of her when she looked at him. Oh, she was going to make him pay for even THINKING to mind control HER Rayne. The evil smirk that appeared on her face simultaneously made Rayne feel both happy and scared. Suddenly, without any prior warning, Kim's eyes went almost large enough to be considered 'anime,' her expression immediately became sad, her lower lip pushed out, and her hands clasped together in front of her. Rayne had always claimed to be evil, even after she reformed and all that, but the look Kim was sending Drakken's way had to be so beyond evil that she bet the devil himself would never use it; she found herself wanting to confess every sin and secret to the redhead, including the fact that she'd kissed Ellen Mathens back in the tenth grade. Drakken was actually curled up on the floor in a fetal position, begging.

"I'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorry," he said in a rush, tears falling down his face. "Pleasepleasepleaseplease! Make it stop, make it stop! I'll be good! I'll go to prison! I'll do anything! I'm sorry!" The expression left Kim's face so fast it might not have been there in the first place. In it's place was the same evil smirk she'd had before unleashing that face.

"I'll have you owe me a favor, Drakken," she said. "Anything I want, no matter what."

"Yes, yes," he quickly agreed. Rayne thought, 'If Kimmie had used that . . . that look against me when we were enemies . . . hell, I'd've BEGGED to go to prison.'

"Just one more thing, then," Kim told him. Before he could ask - or beg, rather - a voice rang out that made him pale and chilled Rayne to the bone.

"Drewbie?" came the voice of Mrs Lipsky as walked into the command room, waving smoke away from her face. "You are LATE, young man!" she added with a scowl, looking at her son.

"Mommy?" he asked, looking almost as scared of his mom as he'd been of Kim's look earlier. "Wh-What are you doing here?"

"Why, that sweet Kim Possible girl told me that you were playing with some friends out here," his mom explained, "and that's why you weren't back for lunch." Mrs Lipsky walked over and dragged Drakken out of his lair, lecturing him about his behavior, while Kim freed Rayne and got swept up in a nearly bone-crushing hug.

"Kimmie?" the pale woman asked.

"Yes, Rayne?" the redhead replied.

"Never, ever do that . . . whatever that look was again," her girlfriend told her.

"My Puppy Dog Pout?"

"Is that what you call that horrendous thing?" When Kim nodded, the taller woman couldn't help a chuckle. "Damn, Princess, I didn't know you could be so evil."

"I could be worse," Kim said smugly.

"How the hell you be worse than using that fucking look and bringing Drakken's MOM along?"

"He could've taken my daughter," the redhead pointed out. Rayne couldn't help it; she shuddered in fear.

"I hope nobody's THAT stupid," the pale woman prayed. "So, um, can we leave now?"

"Doy!" Kim replied, borrowing one of Rayne's favorite expressions. "We've gotta get back to Elizabeth and move to Go City."

{E/N: I warned y'all. Next, we'll see where things go from here, and possibly the reappearance of someone Kim never expected.}


	13. Chapter 13

{A/N: And now we come to the conclusion of this tale. I want to thank all of you who have been with this story from the beginning, and those who joined it as it happened. Many thanks go to my Betas (Magic Basher54986, Orionslave, and Rose Winterstorm) because without them, this story might've taken longer - or not have happened at all.}

*13.) Starting Again; This Time Together*

It was a month after Kim's return to the world's awareness. Fortunately, she and Elizabeth had been moved into Rayne's mansion by the time the media hounds descended upon her; not one of the reporters was dumb enough to even try the mansion's security after learning who it now belonged to. The redhead's dramatic return - the mission to rescue Rayne Gooding, the founder and owner of Corporate Security Operations - had brought immediate attention to her. She did answer a few questions once some reporters had caught her before she'd reached the mansion's gate; she'd been out shopping for some food and had taken her daughter with her. She explained that she was 'back' into the 'hero thing' but was easing into it so she could get back into shape; she readily admitted that she and Rayne were dating as the pale woman had no intention of hiding that fact; and that the little girl with her was her daughter. Those were the only things she answered, even when obscenities were tossed into the questions they continued to shout at her. When one of them insulted Rayne, though, she punched the offender hard enough to not only knock the person on their ass, but also broke their nose in a fountain of blood.

"Don't talk about things you have no idea about," she said quietly, but just loud enough for the mics to pick up. The assaulted reporter wanted to press charges, until one of his colleagues pointed out that he couldn't afford the court loss that would happen for him.

A few days later, though, Kim did hold a press conference to explain her reappearance (and some hoped her previous retirement and disappearance).

"Why did you retire, Miss Possible?" asked the representative from the Go City Tribune. "You and Miss Gooding were doing some amazing things before her disappearance."

"Personal issues," the redhead explained. "I won't explain about Rayne, as that's her story to tell if she chooses, but I will say it did hit me hard. I retired because I wasn't able to keep my head in the 'game' and that would've been bad not just for me." She pointed at another person.

"Rob Bell, Upperton Journal," the man said as he stood. "Without being disrespectful, Miss Possible, but might I ask why you disappeared? You were last seen publicly at a charity event held by the Holdings, then vanished a month later."

"I appreciate your understanding, Mister Bell," Kim said. "It's not something I like talking about, but I have been able to deal with it enough to explain it now." She took a deep breath and let it out. "I was in a bad way back then, emotionally and mentally. I'd had a bad breakup that very day, and ended up drinking more than I should've. But then, I'm kind of a lightweight when it comes to alcohol anyway." Everyone laughed at that, which she'd expected as she had meant it to be funny. "I ran into an old schoolmate who I'd once had a crush on before I realized my sexuality and came out. Long story short, he took advantage of my drunkenness and emotional vulnerability and . . . raped me." THAT statement brought about a dead silence. Kim answered the question she knew would follow once the reporters recovered. "Yeah, THE Kim Possible got raped. It wasn't shame or anything that prevented me from saying anything before now. I wasn't in a state to think clearly and I knew I couldn't handle the media circus that would've happened." All of the media representatives nodded; they knew she was right, and many of them felt shame as they knew they would've jumped into that feet first. "I moved away and had my daughter. Her name is Elizabeth Anne Possible."

"Do you intend to press charges against the man who raped you?" another reporter asked. Though Kim hadn't selected the next questioner, she decided to answer that one.

"Yes," she replied. "At the present time, though, I'm settling into my new life, reconnecting with my friends and family, and really just trying to find myself again. But I will be filing charges against him for what he did; even though I did get a beautiful daughter out of it." After that, less intrusive and personal questions were asked and the conference eventually wound down.

TLP

Stephanie was surprised when she saw Rayne back in the café. She looked around but didn't see Kim and Elizabeth anywhere. Only a little less happy than before, she approached the table and spoke up.

"Haven't seen you in a while, stranger," she said with a grin. The pale-skinned woman looked up at the blonde and returned the smile.

"Had some things to care of," Rayne replied. "And I needed to talk to you about something, too."

"Well, let me take your order and get it tended to, then I'll see if I'm close enough to my break to take it a little early." The pale woman agreed and ordered her usual tea, as well as a couple of Thai dishes since she was hungry and was missing lunch with her girlfriend and her girl's daughter. It didn't take long for her tea to arrive, and Rayne nursed it while waiting for her food to reach her. A few minutes (and half of her tea) later, Stephanie brought her order to the table - along with what looked like her own lunch.

"Turns out it's actually time for my lunch break," she explained. "So I figured I'd take my break with you."

"Fair enough," Rayne agreed, expertly using her chopsticks to start eating.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Stephanie asked, digging into her own food. "I gather you didn't come by here for the food or to socialize."

"Like I go anywhere just to socialize," the plasma thrower retorted. "But you are right. I've actually got a bit of a business proposition for you."

"Like what?" the blonde wondered.

"Nanny," Rayne said bluntly. "With Kim resuming her hero work, as well as college when the spring semester starts up, we'll need someone to watch our Little Princess when neither of us is around."

"Things are that serious between you two, huh?" Steph inquired softly. The other woman just nodded. "Why me, Miss Gooding?"

"I see you've done your homework," the pale woman said, sipping the last of her tea.

"Yep. So I know you're more than capable of affording a real nanny for Elizabeth."

"I'm doing it for Kimmie," the raven-haired woman admitted. "You were there for her when she needed someone, even if you never got her heart. She trusts you, a lot, and does miss having you around. I'm sure Elizabeth does, too." Rayne hesitated, then just decided to keep going. "I miss you, too. In the short time that I was around you, I felt like I could trust you as much as Kim does. That only happened once, and I ended up almost ruining everything. I'm not saying that it's the same thing I have with Kim, but more like . . . well, like a real friend. I can count on one hand how many real friends I have, and not mark anything."

"Damn," Stephanie said in response to Rayne's impromptu speech.

"Yeah," the mint-tinted woman agreed. "I don't usually go for the mushy things, but it's something that would really make Kim happy. And I'm sure you miss the Little Princess, too." Rayne set her chopsticks down. "You would be paid good, with full-coverage benefits, as well as whatever vacation days you want or need. And you wouldn't be required to pay for room and board; you'd live in the mansion free of charge, since there's more than enough room. I can even provide a decorating budget for your room - though that would be a one-time thing, of course."

"Of course," the blonde, soon-to-be-ex, waitress agreed. She sighed. "I do miss them. Didn't expect to become so used to someone in just a years' time. Not even half a year for Elizabeth."

"Believe me, I understand that," Rayne said dryly. "So, what do you say?"

"Give me five minutes to quit my job and change," Stephanie replied with a grin.

TLP

Kim was indeed ecstatic when Stephanie showed up with Rayne. She was even more joyous when she learned that not only was her friend going to be staying in town, but she was going to be a live-in babysitter/nanny for them. Rayne explained the agreement she'd worked out with Stephanie, and even had engaged one of CSO's lawyers to work up the paperwork for it. Things seemed to be settling down now, except for the rift that had appeared between Kim and Ron; he refused to let go of what Shego's disappearance two and a half years ago had done to Kim, refusing to believe that the plasma thrower could have changed again (of course, he'd believed the same thing back when she'd first been pardoned, but he'd trusted Kim's judgement back then, too). Kim didn't really care, though; it was her life, she was taking it by the horns, and was steering it in the direction she wanted it to go. Team Stoppable was still currently the go-to team for supervillains (no one bothered with Team Go), though many were anticipating the return of Kim Possible - even a new Team Possible consisting of Kim and Rayne (which of course didn't make Ron happy). There was still one more thing to take care of, and that was visiting Kim's family. Things had been pretty hectic since she'd first talked to her mom, and she hadn't had a chance to visit yet.

Until now.

Kim and Rayne were currently on their way to the Possible residence in Middleton; they'd arrived in the Colorado town via the pale woman's private jet. Kim was in the passenger seat, feeling more than a little nervous, and frequently looking back to check on her sleeping daughter. Rayne was, of course, driving; she hadn't had a reason to keep a car in Middleton, so she'd rented one. She had resisted her initial impulse to pick out a sports car or something like that, and had instead chosen an SUV hybrid that had a great safety record. Needless to say, Kim had been impressed with the older woman's choice and had given her a kiss on the cheek in appreciation, making her blush.

"Relax, Princess," Rayne said after the redhead had checked on her daughter for the thirteenth time.

"It's been over a year since I've seen them, Rayne," Kim replied, turning back around in her seat but letting her eyes rest upon her girlfriend. "I'm . . . I'm scared of seeing them again. I know they've gotta be angry with me."

"Kim," the pale woman said, getting the younger woman's attention immediately. "I'm sure they will be angry and hurt and all of that, but they'll be happy to have you back. That'll be more important to them, I think."

"I hope so," the redhead said, still so obviously anxious about the pending visit.

"Everything will be fine," her girlfriend reassured her. "You're family . . . from what I remember, they're way beyond understanding and supportive. Like I said, there'll be some anger and hurt because of what you did, but they'll remember how things were back then and see how you are now. They love you, Princess. And they'll love our Little Princess, too."

It wasn't too long after that that they were pulling into the Possibles' driveway. Kim had calmed down some, though she was still visibly nervous. It was early afternoon, since they wanted to make sure there was plenty of time for a good visit if things went well. Though Kim was the one to get little Elizabeth Anne out of the truck, Rayne was the one to carry her; it was at the pale woman's insistence as she had a feeling about how Kim's family would react at seeing her again after a little over a year of nothing.

And that feeling proved correct after Kim knocked on the door and her mom opened it; the younger redhead was instantly pulled into a hug by the openly sobbing woman that literally left her struggling to breathe. It wasn't too long before James Possible found out who was at the door and Kim again found herself in a hug that was threatening to asphyxiate her. The two older adults were openly crying, happy to finally be seeing their only daughter after so long. Then Anne caught sight of Shego, and the little red-haired bundle she was holding.

"Is that . . ." she started to ask, but trailed off before finishing. Her aborted question drew her husband's attention, and got him to release his daughter - which allowed her to walk back to her girlfriend and daughter.

"Mom, Dad?" Kim said, taking her daughter from Rayne and letting the older woman put an arm around her shoulders. "This is my daughter, Elizabeth Anne Possible. Your . . . your granddaughter." Anne and James took note of the way the two young woman stood together, but said nothing of it; for one, the pale woman was the reason their daughter was even back, and two they'd seen what had happened to the reporter that had insulted the plasma thrower within Kim's hearing. They knew that Kim would never do anything like that to them, but it was obvious how she felt about the older female (plus Rayne had already told them that the two of them had worked out their issues). Anne walked over to the couple and asked, "May I?" Kim smiled and gently handed Elizabeth over to her mom. The older redhead expertly cradled the six-month-old girl and smiled down at her.

"She's beautiful," Anne said as she gazed down at the baby. James had followed his wife over and agreed; though he didn't say it, he thought his granddaughter might actually be cuter than his Kimmie-cub had been at that same age. Soon the four headed into the house and sat in the den, where Anne brought out drinks for them: coffee for Rayne and James, tea for her and Kim. For a while, no one said anything as no one really knew what to say. Kim was still nervous and anxious about the situation, worried that her parents would lecture her about her actions and express their disappointment in her about them; Rayne knew that this was a moment between the Doctors Possible and their daughter, and simply sipped her coffee while discretely (she thought) keeping an eye on her Little Princess.

Anne and James, for their part, didn't really know what to say to their once-estranged daughter. They had been beyond frantic during the early days of Kim's disappearance, calling every one of Kim's friends that they knew about and even begging Betty Director for help. Their panic hadn't eased as days turned into weeks, and then a month. It got so bad that Anne had to take a leave of absence from the hospital and James had actually put a couple of projects on hold because he couldn't focus on them. And of course none of Kim's friends had had any idea of what had happened to her, not even Wade; THAT had surprised the Doctors Possible utterly. Jim and Tim had taken their sister's disappearance just as badly as their parents; maybe worse because, in spite of their near-constant antagonizing of her, they actually did love their sister. After all, they'd gone two months without blowing anything up after she'd left. And now here she was, back and definitely different from the nineteen-year-old who had vanished one day.

"I'm sorry," Kim said quietly, breaking the somewhat tense silence.

"Don't apologize, Kimmie-cub," James replied, surprising her. He chuckled at the expression on her face and continued. "Yes, it did hurt when you left like you did, and after the pain lessened a bit we WERE angry with you, but what matters is that you're back now."

"We know you won't be living here in Middleton," Anne added, glancing down with a smile at the slowly stirring baby in her arms for a moment, "but we hope that you'll at least visit every once in a while."

"I'll make sure she does," Rayne promised, breaking into the conversation for a moment.

"We hope you'll ALL come," the elder redhead said, smiling at the former villainess.

"We understand why you thought you had to leave," James said, "even though you know we would've been behind you one hundred percent." He held up a hand to halt Kim's protest. "We know that weren't yourself back then. Your mom and I spent a lot of time talking after your first call, and decided that lecturing you about your decisions then wouldn't do anyone any good. And I'm sure you've thought about it a lot yourself. It . . . wasn't easy for anyone, but it's in the past now." Just then, a rocket went through the house and would've taken Kim's head off of she hadn't ducked.

"TWEEBS!" Kim shouted as the rocket went out a window.

"We didn't do it!" came the instinctive and twinned response. Rayne smirked and held up three fingers. She counted down until she had a fist, and right at that instant Jim and Tim burst into the den with twin shouts of, "KIM!" They glomped onto their sister with a pair of flying tackles; if it hadn't been for the intense sparring sessions with her girlfriend, Kim would've been knocked off of her feet. Rayne actually felt a warmth spreading through at the sight of her Princess and the young woman's twin brothers sharing that goofy yet tender moment; laughing and teasing each other. Then Kim took her daughter from her mom and introduced her brothers to their niece.

TLP

Kim was glad to learn she had worried for nothing. While no one acted like she'd never left - which would have bothered her - they made sure to let her know it didn't really matter to them now that she was back. They did wonder about her life during her absence, and how she had changed. They even asked if everything was good between her and Rayne now, and had been reassured by the pale woman that she had no intention of leaving Kim or their Little Princess ever. Anne had noted that ex-thief had referred to Elizabeth as being both her and Kim's child, but said nothing about that as Kim apparently thought and felt the same way. The younger redhead even talked about the night she'd been raped, unintentionally making her girlfriend feel some guilt (she then spent a few minutes reassuring the plasma thrower that no one blamed her). She even told her mom - as her dad was keeping an eye on his sons while they spending time with their niece - that she'd already begun filing charges against Josh Mankey back in Go City (since that IS where the rape had occurred). It wasn't long after that that the doorbell rang. Kim was expecting it, as she knew that Ron was intending to stop by to at least try to mend bridges with her. She opened the door . . . . . and felt her jaw drop in shock.

"Hey, Kim," said Josh Mankey with what he probably thought was a charming smile. "I'd heard you were back."

"What the fuck do you want, Mankey?" Kim growled, actually having to struggle to control her temper. Rayne had been coming to check on her girlfriend since she didn't think it'd take that long to greet the buffoon and let him in; hearing the redhead swear had surprised her, but her surprise was chased away by a fury that surprised her in its intensity when she heard WHO the younger woman was addressing. She came behind the redhead and placed a supportive hand on her shoulder.

"I'd like to see my daughter, Kim," he replied smoothly - or at least he thought it was smooth.

"She isn't yours, Mankey," she snapped.

"It's rather obvious that she's mine," he told her. "You haven't been with a man since me."

"She wasn't with a man that time, either," Rayne quipped, making Kim chuckle.

"And who might you be, babe?" Josh said, turning on his charm.

"I'm the badass lesbian who's dating Kim Possible," the pale woman explained, slipping her hand down to wrap it around the redhead's waist.

"You expect me to believe that two hot babes like you girls are claiming to be gay?" he asked incredulously. He simply couldn't believe that the two women before him weren't falling for his charm and good looks; especially Kim since she had once already.

"You're not going to see my daughter," Kim said.

"She's just as much mine as yours, Kim," he replied. "Genetics."

"That doesn't make her yours, asswipe," Rayne told him. "It just means that she was unfortunate enough to be cursed with half of her genes coming from you."

"You know I can have you made to let me see her," Josh said, his voice cool and no longer easygoing. "Or even have her given to me completely." If he expected that to make her give in, he found himself mistaken.

"There's no way in hell I'll let that happen," Kim said quietly, but with venomous anger infusing her voice. Josh was so shocked at how she'd said that that he actually took a couple of steps back. "I've already begun filing rape charges against you," she added before he could say anything. "You caught me at a low point in my life back then. I've moved beyond that now, and if you're lucky I'll let the law take care of you. So goodbye, and I'm sure Rayne will let Johnny in Cell Block B know that he's gonna be getting a new bitch soon." Then she shut the door firmly in his face.

{E/N: To be continued . . . but not in here.}


	14. Chapter 14

{A/N: Corrected chapter 13's incompleteness. I do apologize for that, and hope y'all still like the story.}


End file.
